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Bonus Episode - My thoughts on Indianna Jones and The Dial of Destiny.

Today, we're looking at the final episode of Star Trek Continues. "To Boldly Go. Part 2." So how does this episode hold up against other series finales such as "All Good Things" and "What You Leave Behind". And how well does this episode tie together Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There's a lot to talk about, including some cool stories shared with me by director James Kerwin. Audio Player control at bottom of page. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a Nerd. This is episode 107 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the final episode of Star Trek Continues. “To Boldly Go, Part 2.” bringing our coverage of this show to a close.   The description on IMDB reads The iconic mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise comes to an end, as Kirk and his crew battle the ultimate adversary.   This teleplay was written by Robert J. Sawyer and James Kerwin. With story by Vic Mignogna, Robert J. Sawyer and James Kerwin. It was directed by James Kerwin And it first aired on the 13th of November 2017.   We pick up in a very tense situation from last episode's great cliffhanger. Kirk is unwilling to relinquish his bridge. He, Spock, and Uhura all try to fight back. To no avail. Even the security officer's phasers are useless against Lana's powers.   And then the big surprise twist happens. Smith's eyes go silver. She is uplifted as well. This was nicely foreshadowed in the last episode where they mentioned that she was holding Garry's hand when they passed through the barrier. I felt then, that she was holding something back. She uses the same lightning force powers that Lana was using. We saw Gary Mitchel and Elizabeth Denher use them in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. She forces Lana and Sentek to retreat to the Kongo.   So … it seems Smith wasn't quite so unaffected as she claimed. I think this is a very cool development. But it raises a lot of questions. Where does Smith sit in the esper scale? Has she always been affected, but has been hiding it, or have her powers only just now manifested. And if so, why?   Kirk asks security to escort her to sickbay. At first, she's taken aback. After all, she's one of the good guys right. She helped them against Lana. But after a moment of thought, she relents. It's probably a good idea. She understands the potential threat she represents. She sees things from Kirk's point of view. Maybe she'd even do the same thing in his place. She voluntarily goes with security.   The big question is, why are they just sitting there. Why have they not destroyed the Enterprise and her crew? McCoy has the answer. It takes time for uplifted  espers to grow in their powers. Perhaps they're biding their time until they all reach full strength.   Bones has a medical defence that might help with the illusions. Scotty recommends keeping their distance as the espers don't have unlimited range with their powers. The Kongo's engines are offline. The crew must have shut it off before they were overpowered. Maybe the espers don't know how to get them going again.   Kirk hasn't slept for two days. McCoy doesn't argue. Usually Kirk would be wrong, but not this time. He needs to keep going. I'm not sure McCoy is right, actually. As Riker says in Best of Both Worlds, you can't fight the enemy at the same time you're fighting your own fatigue. Lack of sleep impairs human decision making. I know my mind is absolutely useless after putting in a day of work, and Kirk has been going much longer than that. Yes, the situation is critical, but for the moment, it's quiet, This might be the perfect time for Kirk to catch 30 minutes of sleep while the enemy regroups. Of course, there's a lot to accomplish while they have this time. Coming up with defences, a plan of some sort. There are no good or easy answers, which is probably why McCoy is not arguing with him.   In five years, 73 people have died under Kirk's command. He remembers the exact number. Of course he would.   McCoy says “we'll stop them” but that's not the point. “At what cost, Doctor?” Kirk asks. That's what's really on his mind. It's fitting for Kirk to reflect back on the cost of his five year mission as it's nearing its end. Especially at a moment like this, when it looks like that cost is about to skyrocket. But there's more to it, as we'll soon discover.   McKenna goes to see Smith. Everyone is afraid of her. Understandably. Contact with Gary, at the time of his uplifting left some residual energy in her. She didn't uplift at the time, probably because she doesn't have the psi rating necessary. But her proximity to the barrier now has reactivated that residual energy enough to uplift her.   Smith has developed telepathy. She can read McKenna's mind. She can feel the power flowing through her, but she claims to not be dangerous. She would never hurt anybody.   But McKenna can't know that for sure. Gary shows early signs of megalomania quite quickly. Denher much less so. She still retained her humanity despite temptation to the contrary. Why?   Was it that Denher was intrinsically a better person? What is because Denher had a lower psi rating than Gary? If that's the case, it looks good for Smith as she seems to have a lower rating still.   So far, it's looking like Smith has a good chance of keeping her humanity long term. But there are no guarantees here. We just just don't know.   Charvanek comes to see Spock. It seems she is still trying to pursue a relationship with him. A relationship he was tempted to enter into in the past, but resisted.   She asks Spock to come with her when her ship departs. The mission of the Enterprise is almost over. His job is complete. It's a logical time to make a change in his life. She tempts him with the promise of unification between Romulans and Vulcans. A promise that will consume him a century from now. But why would a Romulan commander want reunification? She is as he would want her to be, not as she truly is. This is not Charvanek. When Spock resists the illusion, it disappears.   Other illusions are being used against the crew. An order to Checkov to lower shields and head into the barrier. Even Kirk's preoccupation with the deaths of crew under his command.   I'm glad these moments were included. The greatest weapon Lana's espers have is their mental abilities. Their ability to confuse and manipulate the crew of the Enterprise. They should be using it every change they get. Probably a lot more than we see on screen. With that many espers, and so many on board the Enterprise susceptible to them, it's actually a miracle they don't blow up their own ship.   This is one weakness I see in Deep Space Nine, actually. Now DS9 is my favourite of all the Star Trek shows, and I love everything to do with the Dominion War and the changelings. But their greatest strength was not the military might of their ships, or the fighting acumen of the Jem Hadar. Their greatest weapon was the ability to infiltrate the Federation. We saw a little hint of the potential they possessed in Homefront and Paradise Lost. And that was only 4 changelings. They should have used these infiltration tactics a lot more during the war. We know the blood screenings were not entirely effective. The Federation wouldn't have stood a chance.   The reason I bring all this up is just to praise this episode for including these scenes.   The battle begins. The Kongo fires on the Enterprise. The starboard nacelle is damaged. The Romulans join the fight but then move off.   The espers might need a minute to recharge their powers.   The nacelle needs 30 minutes to repair. Kirk orders a risky cold restart. The esper's powers cannot deflect multiple simultaneous strikes. But two vectors will not be enough. Three would do the job, but they don't have a third ship….or do they?   Kirk orders the crew to prepare for a risky procedure. One they have never before attempted. Scotty will re-start the engines. They will separate the saucer from the Stardrive. Spock will command the saucer. Kirk, the secondary hull.   Obviously, this is something that TNG did, but TOS never did.  I was already aware that Gene Roddenberry had intended that the TOS Enterprise be able to separate. They didn't really have the budget to make it a reality until Encounter at Farpoint. What I didn't realise, until it was pointed out by James Kerwin, is that Kirk referred to the process, which they called “Jettisoning”, not “Separating” in two different TOS episodes. “The Apple” and “Savage Curtain”.   Spock points out that it will be very difficult to re-integrate the ship after this. But not impossible I like this approach. It shows that while yes, the original Enterprise COULD separate the two sections, it wasn't a routine operation like on the Enterprise D. It's a last resort. Not necessarily indeed to be undone. Kirk describes it as “jettisoning the stardrive section.” So it's not the same as in TNG.  I like this a lot.   This gives the final episode of Star Trek Continues quite an epic feel. Now they can conduct a three-pronged attack on the Kingo.   And it's working. The Kongo's power is decreasing.   Kirk is commanding the stardrive section from Auxilary control, which was seen from time to time in the original series. The set was built for episode 3 “Fairest of Them All”.  Director James Kerwin shared a story with me. The Auxilary control set was re-assembled for the finale, not having been used in a couple of years. But the buttons and lights on the helm console had deteriorated due to humidity and dust. They no longer worked, and they had to film in two days.   Kermin checked the travel manifest and realised that Grant Imahara, who played Sulu, was flying in that day. Grant was an electrical engineer by trade. Kermin called him on his mobile phone and said “Grant, I'm so sorry, I know you have a day off before you need to film, but could you please come to set now and try to repair the auxiliary control helm console? He gladly did so and made it work beautifully. So when we see Sulu pressing the aux control helm buttons, and the lights on the console flashing, that was Grant's work.   The Kongo hails the Enterprise. We hear some ominous music. Music that is very reminiscent of the score from Star Trek The Motion Picture. A very nice touch.   This episode was the third time Andy Farber wrote and recorded original music for the show. Starting to integrate some themes from The Motion Picture was a deliberate charge from Mignongna to Farber. This episode is, afterall, the missing gap between TOS and TMP. A handing of the torch. What he did was incredible. He weaved these different styles of music together in an impressive and wonderful way. You hear it clearly during the saucer separation.   What made this extra special was the inclusion of Craig Huxley. This man has deep connections to Star Trek. He played Peter James Kirk - the nephew of James Kirk, and also appeared in the episode “and the children shall lead.” He invented a very unique musical instrument that featured heavily in the score of Star Trek The Motion Picture. The blaster beam. The longest stringed instrument ever. You probably know what I'm talking about. The score for TMP had these deep resonant sounds like nothing you've heard before or since. Those sounds came from this unique instrument. Jerry Goldsmith discovered this instrument and wanted to use it in his score. It was also used in Star Trek 2 and 3, and even Back to The future and Alien. I was surprised to hear that, because to me, those sounds are uniquely synonymous with The Motion Picture.   They brought Huxley back to perform some blaster box for the score of this episode, and man does it make a difference. It impacts me on such an emotional level, because of the link to The Motion Picture.   The Kongo's original crew, including their captain, are alive in the cargo bay. Lana is going to use them as leverage to negotiate.   They want McKenna to beam aboard the Kongo, in exchange for the Kongo's captain. If she doesn't they'll decompress the hanger deck. It's a classic prisoner exchange, like in Generations. But who will it benefit most? McKenna is willing to go. Sentek gives only one minute. Spock tries to contact Kirk but Uhura can't get through the interference.   McKenna is trained in mediation. She can find a way to a win-win situation.   Spock is in command. He has to make a decision. This could be a deception. The Kongo crew may not even be there. McKenna urges Spock to listen to his feelings, rather than his logic. Interestingly, I would have thought that his emotions would want him to protect McKenna, his friend. But he relents and agrees to the exchange. Mckenna for Captain Azmi.   This raises the important question of why they want McKenna so much.   As soon as McKenna beams away, it is revealed that the lifesigns were an illusion. There are no crew to be saved. Sentek lied. When Spock confronts him about this, saying Vulcans never lie, Sentek says they both know that is not true. And I can't argue with that. They now have a valuable hostage. One for whom Spock has affection. And that may be motivation enough for the espers wanting the exchange.   Lana orders Spock to stand down or McKenna will die. Spock agrees.   The Kongo warps out of the system.   Can things possibly get any worse?   Lana brings food to McKenna, which gives her the opportunity to try to reason with her. McKenna says there is room for everyone in the Federation. She'll do all she can to help them find acceptance. Lana points out that time after time, humanity has turned its back on self-improvement. After all they've done, Lana knows there is no place for her and her people in the Federation. She may be right. I can't imagine many in the Federation would be keen to welcome these people, given the danger they possess.   Lana sees her and her people as humanity's successors. She doesn't want to assimilate into the Federation. She wants to replace it.   With help from the Romulans, the Enterprise has been re-attached into one piece. They're now in pursuit, but they're a long way behind.   Starfleet has requested help from both the Klingons and the Romulans. Both have said no. McCoy's medical defence is ready to help them focus. This is important for the story, because otherwise, sooner or later, someone on the ship would succumb to an illusion. The good guys have to have a chance to succeed at some point. Uhura has a way to circumvent the esper's subspace disruption, so they'll be able to communicate and coordinate.   The Enterprise will be working with the Exeter and the Potempkin. The only other two constitution class ships in service.   Spock apologises for his recent decision. Kirk confirms he would have done the same thing in his place. Smith wants to help. Kirk isn't convinced it's a good idea. Her power is growing quickly. But is her ego growing with the power? There seems to be no evidence of that so far.   Five years ago, Smith watched Kirk make impossible choices to protect his crew. That set something in motion in her.  He showed her what it means to serve.   Originally a yeoman, Smith left and got her commission so she could return to the Enterprise and serve her crew. This is what she's meant to do - help. Either Smith is a very good actor, or she is still herself. Still a good person. It's a great speech and a very nice character moment for Smith.   If things weren't already bad enough, it seems the Exeter and Potempkin have both been destroyed. They fired on each other. The espers powers of illusion have grown significantly. Probably greater even than what Gary's were before he died.   This episode is doing a fantastic job of taking the tension and ramping it up further and then further.   Uhura and Spock have come up with another way to shield the Enterprise from the illusory power of the espers. It will be limited, but might buy them some time.   But without the other two ships, time to do what?   When they see the Kongo on screen, we hear another booming note from the blaster beam. So effective.   Smith is going to try to use her powers to force her way through the Kongo's shields in order to beam over there.   Kongo has started firing. Spock has located McKenna. Smith is on it. The scene where she storms into the Kongo engine room and throws the espers aside is awesome. She has become a powerful superhero and I love it. Who would have thought, looking at the character in Star Trek's second pilot, that she would end up here. But now it's two against one, and their powers have had a lot more time to grow than hers. As they zap her, her eyes seem to dim. So she starts to fire all her power into the ship's engines. The espers run. Her eyes fade to normal. Her lifesigns are gone. She used the last of her energy to burn out the Kongo's systems.   And this brings the story of Smith to an end. She dies a hero. She fulfils her dreams. She is able to serve in the most powerful way, doing what nobody else could have done.   When I think back on this episode, I always remember another death, that we'll talk about shortly. But after this time through, Smith's death will stick with me just as much, maybe even more. This death is just as emotionally impactful. This is the moment when the good guys win.   James Kerwin really enjoyed shooting Smith's sacrifice. He and actress Kipleigh Brown had been working together on film projects for many years, and both started working on Star Trek Continues at the same time, episode 3. He was glad to give the character an honourable send-off.   Not only did Kipleigh Brown write the previous episode, “What Ships are For”, she also wrote Smith's farwell speech to Kirk.   The Romulans are firing killing shots at the Kongo. But they still have someone over there. The Romulans, like their Vulcan cousins, it seems, are very pragmatic in this situation. They're not willing to risk the galaxy just for McKenna.   The visuals of the damages Kongo with it's decks exposed looks awesome. Reminds me of the remastered effects in The Doomsday Machine.   Even Charvanek,who is still aboard the Enterprise, doesn't approve of Tal's actions. Now the Romulan ship is firing at the Enterprise too.   The Enterprise takes some very significant damage. Casualty reports coming from all over the ship. As the saucer is mangled, and sparks flare all over the bridge, we get an epic sense of disaster you wouldn't see in any other episode of TOS. This is the finale. It all ends here. This nicely gives an added reason for the ship to undergo a major refit prior to TMP.   Charvanek disables the weapons on her ship, relieving Tal of his position.   The Kongo hails. They're in bad shape. Even Lana has lost the silver from her eyes. “Well fought, Kirk,” she says. “For a moment we knew the freedom of infinity.”   Their reactor is building up. Scotty needs a minute to beam McKenna out. He doesn't get it. He's half got her, but having  trouble re materialising her. It looks like Spock has done it, but it still doesn't work. Spock's emotions come out as he hits the console.   McKenna is still standing there, shimmering, allowing them to have a tearful goodbye.   Kirk apologises and thanks her.   Spock approaches. It's a painful moment for him. She says something to him, although it isn't overly apparent to me in this scene. We get hints of music from Star Trek 2. Fitting. This scene really tears me apart. McKenna herself seems to have a quiet acceptance of her death. She has a smile that seems to say “Thanks for trying.” She is remarkably brave in the face of her imminent death. Were I in her situation. I'd probably be horrified. McKenna fades away. Dead. It makes narrative sense that McKenna would die in this episode. Over the course of this fourth season, she has become an important part of the show. Part of this family. It makes no sense that she wouldn't be around in the movies. It's logical that she would die. I guess the same is true for Smith. And in a story of this magnitude, there needs to be loss. There has to be a price for victory.   In the end, McKennma's death was kind of senseless. She wasn't able to make a difference, although it does serve an important story purpose as we'll see in a minute. But Smith's death was critical to their victory. They never would have won without her. In a very real sense, she is the hero of this story.   The Enterprise crawls home on its hands and knees. She has come home. But it's not the triumphant moment they had anticipated. Their recent losses, how close they came to disaster, it all weighs heavily on them. Kirk's log is spoken with a very sombre voice. We see the spacedock in orbit, where she'll stay until her refit is complete and Kirk takes her out to confront V'ger.   We see a TOS shuttle fly over the golden Gate Bridge in a scene that otherwise could have come from the motion picture.   Admiral Nogura, who we hear about in the motion picture, but never see, congratulates Kirk on completing his five year mission, and on saving the galaxy. It's cool to have that character appear in this episode.   In the show, we didn't see the Enterprise crew saving the entire galaxy. They tended to deal with smaller scale issues most of the time. But it's very fitting that they have faced and overcome such a threat in their final story.   Kirk still feels the cost acutely. Based on Kirk's experiences with McKenna, Kirk calls the experimental counsellor program a success. It should continue. Starfleet ships from now on will have counsellors on board.   Kirk looks at a series of models, from Cochrane's Phoenix, to the NX-01, We see the USS Discovery, the constitution class, and finally, the constitution refit, as the TMP theme starts to play.   I get goosebumps.   Now, potentially, Discovery shouldn't be seen here, as that ship was classified when it travelled into the future. Of course, Discovery season 1 was brand new when this episode was made, so that canon hadn't been established yet. Personally, I think it's not out of the question for an admiral to still have a crossfield class model in his office. It was still a part of Starfleet history. Nogura would have been active in Starfleet during the time of Discovery. And I think it's worth it for the emotional resonance of seeing it in the lineup. It's nicely ties old and new Trek together.   The Enterprise will be refit from the keel up. The crew will be given promotions. And the Federation council has voted to reinstate the enterprise Delta as the official insignia of Starfleet.   Kirk says Scotty always thought it reminded him of the port and starboard warp signatures of Cochrane deceleration. I can't help but wonder if this is a nod to the novel Star Trek Federation. To Kirk, it's an arrow. Rising upward and outward.   I was never a fan of the alternate insignias for other ships, and I believe, neither was Rodennberry. I remember reading somewhere, and I don't remember where, so take this with a grain of salt, but I seem to remember Roddenberry wanted the crew of other ships to have the familiar delta, but the costume designer kept making new insignias, probably because he wanted to express his creativity.   For me, this is a part of canon I tend to try to ignore. It's clear that in most of Star Trek, the delta is intended to be the logo for all of Starfleet, and always has been. But, those alternate insignias are part of canon. And they were further canonised by both Enterprise and Strange New Worlds. Later Star Trek established the delta was used as the general Starfleet logo both prior to Kirk's five year mission, and again afterwards.   James Kerwin resolved this by having Nogura say that in honour of the Enterprise, they were RE-establishing the delta as the official starfleet logo.   This episode makes it all work here in a fitting way.   Kirk is questioning whether his time has ended. He is not the same person he was. He's suffered a lot of loss. His preoccupation with the loss of people under his command may have been brought on by the espers, but these feelings are real. He expects more of himself than he's able to give any longer. He could never be happy with that.   This makes him more receptive to what Nogura is about to offer him.   We see the Enterprise crew assembled in the same room where Kirk briefs them in TMP. It's fascinating seeing those colourful TOS uniforms in a background plate that looks like it's taken directly from TMP. I do love the transitional moments like this.   Kirk emerges in his motion picture admiral uniform. Like most people, I'm not a big fan of the TMP uniforms, but the one exception is Kirk's admiral uniform. I like that a lot. I kinda wish the movie had just used that uniform for everyone.   Kirks makes a speech. He has been promoted to admiral and chief of Starfleet operations. That's the bad news. The good news is that they will continue to reach deeper into the stars. Explore more new worlds. Venturing further into the final frontier.   Our greatest adversaries, he says, are ourselves. We have much to learn about what's out there, but also about what's in here. The experience with the espers has cemented that lesson.   Now the music goes full TMP.   The next thing the episode needs to do is set up where McCoy and Spock will be at the start of the movie.   McCoy says he's done. He's seen enough death. What he hasn't seen is his daughter in five years. He's leaving Starfleet and going home. I feel that McCoy's departure hasn't been as well set up as Spocks, which we'll get to in a minute. But his reasons are sound. Particularly the family thing 5 years is a very long time to not see your child. We don't know the exact details of his family in the prime universe canon, but it has been established through the years, particularly in books, that McCoy had a family. The Kelvin movies made his marriage and divorce canon. I can't begin to imagine not seeing your child for five years, but I applaud him for doing something about it now. This works really quite well for me, but I think it would work even better had there been a little more foreshadowing through the season. Seeing McCoy start to lament the lost time with his daughter. Realising how great that cost had become.   Of course, this isn't the end of their friendship. And there's a nice little nod to Drake. There's an acknowledgement of the awkward but strong friendship that exists between Spock and Bones when he invites Spock to join them.   Spock tells Jim what McKenna said to him before she was lost in the transporter beam. “Forgive yourself.”   A difficult thing. McKenna encouraged Spock to pay attention to his emotions. He did so. He made an emotional decision, ignored his logic and allowed her to beam over.   That decision cost many lives, including hers.   Spock doesn't know how to deal with the guilt and regret he's feeling. All he knows how to do with emotions is suppress them. And that leads him to make the decision to undergo the Kholinar. He will purge all his remaining emotions.   This whole Kholinar thing seemed to come from nowhere in The Motion Picture. So Spock's arc in this episode makes a whole lot of sense. It retroactively makes Spock's arc in TMP even better. I absolutely love what the episode does here. It's brilliant character work.   Kirk will see his two friends at dinner. But there's one last thing he has to do. He goes to the bridge of the Enterprise. Now shut down and empty. And he looks at it. Says goodbye. While Kirk says goodbye to his command, we say goodbye to a bridge that we will never see again - not in this form.   It's a powerful scene. It holds similar emotional resonance as the poker scene at the end of “All Good Things.”   The episode hangs there. Gives Vic the time just to look and react.   We finish with a captain's log. Kirk's last. At least for now.   Then we pull back on a shot of the Enterprise in spacedock, as the music becomes very TMP sounding.   There is no music over the ending credits, just the ambient sound of the bridge.   This episode does everything a series finale should do, and it does it in style. We had a huge story with epic stakes. Powerful impacts for our characters. A sense of full-circle as we link back to the beginning, and a setting up for what will come after.   I'd put this one right up there with the best of the Star Trek Finales, “All Good Things” and “What you Leave Behind.” This is certainly orders of magnitude better than “Endgame.”   I've loved Star Trek Continues as a whole, but this final two-parter epitomises the reasons I love this show so much.   I have to give a huge congratulations to the cast and crew. To everyone who made this labour of love a reality. This show has a special place in my heart, and I'm deeply grateful to those who created it.   I would like to acknowledge the tragic passing of actor Grant Imahara who played Sulu. He passed away on the 13th of July 2020 at just 49 years of age   I'd like to say a huge thankyou once again, to James Kerwin for reaching out to me, and generously answering my questions and sharing some cool stories. Thanks, James.   Here ends my coverage of Star Trek Continues.   So what next? Well it seems crazy not to jump right into Star Trek The Motion Picture after this. I've covered all the TNG movies on the podcast, but I haven't covered the TOS movies. So I'll make my way through them.   I also have some ideas of things I can do along the way. I've been thinking of revisiting the original Transformers cartoon from the 80s, which I have powerful childhood memories of. See if there's anything in them worthy to discuss as an adult. I'd likely cover more than one episode in a podcast, and probably not go into as much recap detail as I've been doing with Star Trek. The idea is something I can do a little more off-the-cuff. Something that will take less time as I try to focus more on the fiction writing.   I'm also thinking of giving periodic updates on my reading of DC Comics, using the DC Universe Infinite app.    Anyway, there's plenty more to come, so I hope you'll find something of interest in the future of Nerd Heaven.   Until next time, Live Long and Prosper. Make it so.  

Today, we're looking at "To Boldly Go Part 1", the first half of the Star Trek Continues grant finale. See how this episode ties back to the Star Trek pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before", how it sets up everything for the exciting conclusion, and hear some fascinating new insights into the episode from director James Kerwin. Player at bottom of page http://AdamDavidCollings.com/books ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd   This is episode 106 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the first part of the Star Trek Continues grand finale, “To Boldly Go, Part 1”.   I got an email a few weeks ago. It was from James Kerwin. Yes, that James Kerin. Writer, producer and director for Star Trek Continues, including director of today's episode.   He reached out to me to say he'd been listening to the podcast and enjoying it. This was a huge thrill. It's very humbling to find that one of the creators of the show has been listening to the podcast, so I want to give a big shout out and thank you to him, not only for his work on the show, but for his encouragement.   And he pointed out a few fascinating things that I'd missed. Remember in episode three, I talked about how good the shuttlecraft exterior looked. It turns out, they didn't build that from scratch that was the real shuttlecraft Galileo from Star Trek The Original Series. How awesome is that?   I've made mention of Nurse Chapel a couple of times, but that wasn't actually Chapel. They made a conscious decision not to have Chapel appear on screen in this show because she should be off at Starfleet Medical getting her doctorate at this point in time, which makes a lot of sense. So it was always Nurse Burke, a character who had appeared in Star Trek comics and novels.   And Lieutenant Smith has not actually been on the Enterprise the whole time. But we'll learn more about that in the next episode.   But here's a big one I missed. The actress who plays her, Kipleigh Brown, was the writer of episode 9 “What Ships are For” I didn't put that together, but I think that's really cool.   The description on IMDB for today's episode reads To solve the utmost mystery, the Enterprise must return to where Kirk's five-year mission began. The teleplay was by Roberty J. Sawyer based on a story by Vic Mignongna, James Kerwin, and Robert J. Sawyer. It was directed by James Kerwin, And it first aired on the 18th of October 2017.   Robert J. Sawyer was the primary writer of this two-parter. He is a very famous Canadian author who wrote FlashForward, which was adapted for TV by Star Trek's Branon Braga, and Man of Steel's David S. Goyer.   When Star Trek The Next Generation was preparing to wrap and move to the big screen, they gave it a two-hour finale. This idea was pretty unheard of at the time. Lots of shows in the 90s had movie-length pilots, but not finales. TV shows tended to pitter out and end with a bit of a whimper. TNG changed all that.   But the original Star Trek never got a proper finale, like TNG, DS9, and Voyager.  Even Enterprise got a finale of sorts, which I will partially defend, though not the feature length extravaganza that others got. But things were different in the 60s. TOS had no ending. It was cancelled. Turnabout Intruder wasn't intended to be the end of the story, it was just an episode.   One of the greatest things about Star Trek Continues is that it rectifies this. It gives TOS the ending it always deserved. And it's done so well.   Much like “All Good Things”, it calls back to a lot of things from the past, but it specifically links us back to the very first episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Even the titles relate, each is part of Kirk's iconic phrase. The symmetry is beautiful.   But hold on, I hear you say. “What about the Cage? Isn't that the pilot of TOS?” Well, yes it is. Star Trek had an unprecedented  two pilots. But The Cage never actually aired in its original form during the run of the show. These days, I tend to think of The Cage as the pilot for Strange New Worlds. So in my mind, it makes a lot of sense for this episode to tie in with “Where No Man has Gone Before.”   Director James Kerwin gave me some interesting insight into the production of these episodes. They actually filmed this two-parter before they filmed the last episode “What Ships are For.” CBS/Paramount had implemented their fan-film guidelines, guidelines.    Now a show like this would have needed some substantial changes to fit with these guidelines. They were required to be less than 15 minutes or no more than 2 30 minute parts in total with no additional seasons, episodes or sequels.   CBS didn't require the show to shut down, but with these guidelines in place, and Discovery about to release, out of respect, they decided to wind down Star Trek Continues. They did a final fundraiser to complete episodes 8, 10 and 11, but there was no money to make episode 9.   But at the last minute, a generous donor gave them the money for episode 9. They shot the finale first to get it out of the way, and went back several months later to film “What Ships are For.” I'm glad that generous donor made it possible, because that last episode was pretty amazing.   The episode opens with Spock & McKenna meditating together. This is normally a very private affair, but Spock considers it an honour to teach a willing student.    Meditation is the one time that Vulcans truly acknowledge their emotions. You can see why it's so private.   McKenna's inclusion in this moment shows the level of intimacy that has grown between these two.   They will both miss these sessions when the mission is over.   We learn here about a vulcan discipline, the Dulhutnar, an alternative to the Kolinahr.  Rather than the purging of emotions, the Dulhutna is about accepting the wisdom of vestigial emotions. Spock considers there to be No chance of him pursuing either. Of course, we know that shortly after this finale, he will return to Vulcan and pursue the Kolinahr.   Spock and McKenna's relationship is special. They share private things they wouldn't share with others. Time with humans has taught Spock to value his human side. And then they hold hands. That's a huge deal. Vulcans are not comfortable with physical contact. And even for humans, holding hands is a sign of affection and physical intimacy.   The Enterprise is scheduled to return home soon. Their 5 year mission is coming to an end. The loss of The Hood crew still weighs on him. You'll remember that back in “Embracing the Winds” a mysterious life support failure cost the lives of the entire crew. A failure that Scotty was unable to explain.    I remember commenting at the time that I hoped the show would follow up on that. I couldn't remember if it did. We'll see in this episode that it is definitely followed up.   The Yorktown and the Republic were both damaged while investigating The Hood's loss. The Enterprise is being sent to the Federation colony on Aldebran III which went completely silent shortly afterward.   Admiral Thesp, a very cool looking Andorian, admits that the Federation had a secret laboratory on the planet. A supply vessel sent to investigate never returned. They detected anti-proton residue. That means Romulans.   The colony has been destroyed. The central reactor suffered a containment failure. Scotty thinks that should be impossible. He installed the safeguards himself 5 years ago, which, I suppose, gives us a glimpse of what Scotty's job was before the Enterprise's 5 year mission began.   Interestingly, Vic pronounces the word Sabotage the same way Shatner does. Sabotage. I don't know how common that is in America, or Canada for that matter, but here in Australia, we definitely say Sabotage. Anyway, I love these little bits of attention to detail. It's really cool.   The underground pandora research lab is intact but it has a scattering field so Scotty will have to beam them down outside.   The set for the planet looks very reminiscent of what we might have seen on The Original Series, and yet, kind of better, in my opinion. It's a real work of art.   I like the little elevator shaft to gain entrance to the lab. The only sign of habitation nearby. Presumably, the colony was elsewhere on the planet.   A drone appears and attacks them. The effects here are a good match for the original series. Again, better quality, but recognisable.   There's a good sense of danger to this action scene.   After they've dealt with it, a human woman, Lana, appears out of the turbolift. She's surprised to see a Vulcan. The sensors detected him as Romulan.   Lana is played by actress Nichola Bryant who famously portrayed the Doctor Who companion Peri, a character I've been known to refer to as “the whinging yank”. But in fairness to her, Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor was a bit of a prickly guy to be around.   James Kerwin was a big Doctor Who fan growing up. Colin Baker and Nichola Bryant were the doctor/companion pairing that he most remembered as a child. It was a big honour for him to work with both of them on Star Trek Continues. Colin Baker appeared in Episode 4, The White Iris, as Amphidamas. And Nichola Bryant appeared in this two-parter.  How cool is it that he got to work with them both on this show?    Lana is wearing a visor. To me, it looks similar to the one that Spock and Miranda Jones had to wear when viewing the Medusans back in “Is There No Truth in Beauty.”   But as she removes the visor, we see her eyes. The same metallic colour we saw in Gary Mitchell after he was uplifted by passage through the galactic barrier, back in the pilot episode.   Ever since this phenomenon was discovered, after “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, Starfleet have been gathering people with high psi-quotients and experimenting with them. Trying to uplift them. There are 25 of them.   This sounds like a REALLY BAD IDEA   My first thought is, are section 31 involved? This woman is part of a first trial. They have already gone through the barrier. They are weaponised humans - to serve as a last resort in case the Federation is invaded by a superior force.   When Kirk questions the legitimacy of such an action, she refers to the starfleet charter. Article 14 Section 31. And there it is.   Lana makes the statement “Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely. It corrupts selectively.”   I don't believe that all power will always corrupt. I don't buy into the old adage. Lana makes a fair point - of the two espers that were uplifted in the pilot, one became a megalomaniac. The other retained her humanity. We don't really know why. Did Gary already have elements of megalomania in his personality? Was he somehow more susceptible to it than Denher was? There could have been all sorts of factors.   And that uncertainty makes this whole thing a very risky endeavour. Lana claims that psychologically unstable espers were excluded from the operation.   But they can't know for certain what might cause another Gary Mitchell. That, in my opinion, makes what they're doing too dangerous.   Kirk asks which she is, and she answers by saying she follows “Sas-tar-po-harn” This is a human spiritual movement that follows the pacifict teachings of Surak and T'Mord of Vulcan. I think this is a very interesting idea. And a logical one. In Babylon 5, when humans made first contact, there was a growing interest in alien religions among humans, the theory being that races that are more technologically advanced than we are, must be closer to God.   I can see some people thinking that way. It seems a similar thing may have happened in the Star Trek universe. After first contact with Vulcans, it's only logical that some humans may have chosen to adopt Vulcan philosophy. So this is a nice touch.   Lana explains that a cloaked ship came here and attacked the lab. It destroyed the Hallifax. The other espers have been kidnapped by the Romulans. Lana played dead with her powers so they didn't find her.   Spock surmises that Vulcans cannot be uplifted, based on his prior experience at the barrier. He was not uplifted despite his psi-abilities. If Vulcans cannot be uplifted, then neither can Romulans. But this raises a question. Do Romulans have the same telepathic abilities as Vulcans? I've never heard of a Romulan conducting a mind meld. The Romulan ancestors left Vulcan during a time of barbarism. The TNG episode “Gambit” suggests that ancient Vulcans had telepathic abilities because they constructed a telepathic weapon called The Stone of Gol. That suggests the Romulans may indeed have similar telepathic abilities to Vulcans, even though we've never really seen it. Unless there's some example I'm forgetting.   The Romulans want to use the kidnapped human espers because they can't create their own. Seems logical. The interesting thing is, they don't want to use the force against the Federation, but to overthrow their own Praetor. Apparently, the Romulan Klingon alliance has ended, and this group of Romulans oppose the end of the alliance.   Spock raises concern over taking Lana with them. Better to leave her here. Stranded. As they had intended for Mitchell.   A Romulan appears. Sentek. He is played by Cas Anvar, who played Alex Kamal on The Expanse. The Expanse had already aired a season or two by this point. I continue to be impressed with the actors that Star Trek Continues is able to get. Lana disarms Sentek. They beam out (with the prisoner) just before the explosion.   They're pursuing the Romulan ship but it'll enter the neutral zone before they catch up. Admiral Thesp orders him to enter the zone and pursue all the way to Romulus if necessary. Just get the espers back.   Kirk doesn't look too impressed with this. Among other reasons that he probably realises, this is a suicide mission, but in addition to that, it could provoke a war.   Spock asks Uhura to transmit an encrypted message. It's all a bit mysterious.   Kirk has some hard questions for Lana. Why was that one romulan left on the planet? Why didn't she use her powers to overcome him? She theorises that he is a praetorian spy hidden among the dissidents. He fled to the hills. None of her answers sound particularly convincing.   The Enterprise officially crosses the border. They are now in violation of treaty. Of course, so were the Romulans, but it seems they didn't represent the Romulan government so that will be a very weak excuse as far as they are concerned.   A bird of prey decloaks. It's not the marauder. When Spock identifies the ship, Kirk shakes his head. He knows what Spock is up to.   They are hailed by the Romulan commander from The Enterprise Incident. Played wonderfully by Amy Rydell, the daughter of the original actor to play the part in the TOS episode. She does a fantastic job, and almost convinces me she's the time-travelling original actor.   She is referred to Charvanek in this episode but was never named on screen in The Enterprise Incident. She does whisper her name to Spock but we never learn what it is. The Name Charvanek was used in a number of non-canon sources. But she's also given other names in various novels and games. She doesn't attack but her words make it clear she considers a formal declaration of war is all but inevitable due to the Enterprise's entry into the zone.   Kirk isn't impressed that Spock contacted her of his own volition. Spock admits the reason he didn't ask is because he knew Kirk wouldn't agree. How human you are becoming, Mister Spock.   Spock believes he can convince her to assist them in pursuing the dissidents, due to their previous rapport. Kirk gives him 30 minutes.   At the end of The Enterprise Incident, Charvanek was taken into Federation space and released on a world on our side of the border. It seems that Sarak was the one who negotiated the treaty that led to her return to Romulan space. It seems she was able to get her old command back. That must have taken some convincing on her part.   Spock appeals to her loyalty to the Praetor. It doesn't take much to convince her to help stop the dissidents.   The twist happens when she meets the prisoner. He is no Romulan commander that she knows, and she knows her fleet. She knows her fellow commanders. As he is discovered, Sentek beams out, apparently at Kirk's command, according to the transporter chief.   Sentek tries to sabotage engineering. In the battle, Charvanek  is rendered unconscious by something similar to a Vulcan nerve pinch.   It's nice to see Doctor M'Benga again.   McCoy has found that Sentek is actually a Vulcan who lived on the colony, and he's married to Lana. He had unusually high natural psionic ability, even for a Vulcan. They speculate that he wanted an equal for a mate. A human who could be uplifted to be his equal. They also speculate that Lana's trip through the barrier may not have been approved by Starfleet.   When Kirk confronts Lana, she explains that she sees her uplifting as a way to accelerate human evolution, which she considers to have stalled.   We get some very interesting worldbuilding. Apparently the barrier around our galaxy was artificially constructed and placed there by the preservers. I love this. It makes sense of what was a bit of a silly idea in TOS, and adds to the mystique and mythology of the Star Trek universe. It's a shame that Star Trek never explored the preservers more than it did.   When she asks why the preservers did it, McCoy speculates that “it was probably to keep us in, to prevent our violence from spreading”. This reminds me somewhat of C.S Lewis's space trilogy, which suggests that the vast interstellar distances between stars are God's natural quarantine to keep sinful humanity confined.   Lana has a different theory, that it was so that naturally superior lifeforms could be uplifted when they devised the technology to leave the galaxy. McCoy pushes back “you don't know what gods think.” It's very chilling when she replies “Yes. I do.”   The implication, of course, being that she is a god. When humans start thinking of themselves as gods, you're probably in for trouble.   It turns out, the ship the Enterprise has been following was just an illusion. Created, presumably, by Lana. But why does she want to start a war between the Romulans and the Federation? Uplifted espers seem to have very similar powers of illusion to the Talosians.   It's nice to see Sulu taking command on the bridge. He's showing a good aptitude for the job he'll eventually have.   Charvanek is still working with her old first officer, Tal. He doesn't seem interested in apologies. He's planning to destroy the Enterprise. This raises the question of where Charvanek is. If she's still on the Enterprise, he'll be killing her. More likely, she's on her ship, but left the bridge in the hands of her first office, much like Kirk has with Sulu.   We get some interesting insight into Romulan religion when the commander says he hopes that Spock's katra finds its way to Vol-to-vor. We know from Star Trek 5, that vol-to-vor is the romulan's equivalent of Eden. So it seems in their religion, it is both a place of origin as well as a destination. This is somewhat different to Christianity, where Eden and heaven are distinct.   The Romulans can't fire. They think they're pressing the button, but they're not. Lana's influence, no doubt.   When Charvanek returns to the bridge we see that Tal has been overstepping his authority. She orders that they will assist the Enterprise with their mission. I smell a potential mutiny in their future.   Kirk figures out the truth behind Lana's deception. There never were any dissidents. The espers weren't kidnapped by Romulans. There never were any Romulans on the planet. The espers stole the Halifax. The deception was to buy time for the espers to make it to the galactic barrier.   This is what happened to the Hood. The espers convinced the crew to shut off their own life support. Just to see if they could. That's horrifically cold. These people truly see themselves as above humankind. Of more value. They have no regard for human life. Given that, it seems believable that Lana would be willing to start this war just as a distraction.   There is no doubt now. Lana is a full villain   Kirk is now questioning his judgement   He calls those who were present at the events of “Where no man has gone before” which includes Smith, who is back on the ship now.   Plus others who were not there.   Spock asks Smith if there's anything she can share of her experience. She was holding Mitchell's hand when they crossed. She has nothing to add that wasn't in her report. But her demeanour suggests maybe she's holding something back.   Scotty is keenly aware of what they're up against. Gary was difficult enough to defeat on his own. They're going to face an entire ship full of uplifted espers.  Kirk takes solace in the fact that despite his powers, Gary was still just as susceptible to human frailty. Then he adds “he couldn't even remember my middle name” which is an amusing little nod to the “James R Kirk” tombstone in that episode. Canon fixed.   Charvanek's  takes the practical approach. Strike first, before they have the ability to grow in their power. Similar to Spock's recommendation all those years ago.   Kirk won't have that. These are still Federation citizens. This is a rescue mission.   I get it. I'm all for idealism, and I'd side with Kirk on this. You can't just shoot to kill while they're still human. But calling it a rescue mission? I believe that's a little naive. These people know what they're doing. They're actively trying to undergo this transformation. I guess the difference is that their egoes, their ambitions, will be increased along with their powers. (much like Khan with his genetically engineered nature)   Sulu comes up with an ingenious way to catch up with the espers. Combine a traditional warp field with the space-folding singularity used by the Romulan ship, reminding us of his background in natural sciences, back in Where No Man Has Gone before. There's a lot of physics to flying a starship so it makes a lot of sense to me that a good helmsman would have a background in science.   Lana decides it's time to escape captivity. She flings the forcefield away and then forces Drake to kill the other guard, and then slowly commit suicide. This is a very chilling scene, and again demonstrates how little regard she has for human life. Can you imagine the horror of that moment, feeling your arm moving, knowing you're about to disintegrate your body, and having no power to prevent it. It's horrifying.   This moment is better than any other redshirt death that has ever happened in TOS, and possibly Star Trek in general.  Firstly because we've gotten to know this character. He's been developed of a number of episodes. He's not just a nameless face. We know he's a person with a life, people who love him. In addition to that, it treats the moment with the gravity it deserves.   I'm left feeling something very deeply, and that would probably even be the case even if we hadn't been introduced to him earlier in the season. Farewell, Drake. You will be missed.   The Enterprise and the Romulan ship have made it to the galactic barrier. The Hallifax is at the border. But have they gone through yet or not?   Kirk hails them. He offers aid, to be a go-between for them with Starfleet Command. He doesn't give the impression of a neutral party, though. They do, after all, work for Starfleet Command.   But it's a trap. The Halifax is empty. Another ship appears behind them. A constitution class ship, The USS Kongo emerges from the barrier. It's too late. There are only around 12 people on board. We get a view of their bridge, and they all have silver eyes. If that wasn't bad enough, Lana and Sentek enter the Enterprise bridge. “Relinquish command or the Enterprise will suffer the same fate as the Hood.”   To be concluded.   This is a fantastic cliffhanger. Not quite up there with Best of Both Worlds, but better than most.   This episode was a great set-up for the finale. I love how it pulled together so many threads, both from TOS and from Star Trek Continues itself.   Only one left to go. It's been a wild ride.   Don't forget to check out my original science fiction at AdamDavidCollings.com/books   And I'll see you next time to discuss To Boldly Go, Part 2. Until then,  Live Long and Prosper Make it so.

We're taking a brief side-quest from our regular coverage of Star Trek Continues, to look at an episode of Star Trek New Voyages, because it sets up the back-story of Kirk and Carol Marcus's relationship, and I just like to throw it in there when I'm doing a re-watch of Star Trek Continues. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 105 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about an episode of a different fan series - Star Trek New Voyages. “The Holiest Thing”   Why? I just like to throw this one in when I do a re-watch of Star Trek Continues, because it does a similar thing to Continues, that is, to help develop the story filling in the gaps between TOS and the Star Trek movies. This one introduces Kirk to a much younger Carol Marcus, for the very first time. So I figured, let's have a look at this one. Next time, we'll be back with part 1 of the finale of Star Trek Continues.   The description on IMDB reads Captain Kirk and the Enterprise investigate the devastation of Lappa III, apparently by the terraforming efforts of Dr. Carol Marcus.   This episode was written by Rick Chambers It was directed by Daren Dochterman   And it first aired on the 15th of January 2016   We start this episode in a very unexpected place. A shuttle flies past the camera. But it's not a TOS shuttle. It's an Enterprise D shuttle. We cut to the inside where we see a woman in TNG era uniform and an older Scotty. So, clearly this is set some time after the TNG episode “Relics” where a retired Scotty finds himself in the 24th century. I have to say, they cast a pretty decent look-alike for older scotty. A guy named Carl Sheldon. He hasn't done a lot of acting.   Watching this scene, I'm again reminded just how professional the acting and writing are in Star Trek Continues. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Star Trek New Voyages. They did some amazing stuff long before Star Trek Continues was a thing. But the acting, and the dialog here just isn't at the same standard as Continues.   But I want to give this show credit for set design and visual effects. What we see in this episode is great. And not all the acting feels as amateur as this first scene.   The ensign has been doing some training with Captain Scott. They're approaching the Lappa system. She asks Scotty if he's ever been there. He recalls a time in his past, when the world was still very much on the frontier. It was un-inhabited back then. At least, that's what they thought.   We then cut to the TOS present day. A scientist, who we'll shortly learn is Dr. Carol Marcus, is working to terraform this planet. Scotty is there, and in this show, he has a moustache. Another little nod to closing the gap between TOS and TMP.   Marcus says “we have Enterprise and her chief Engineer watching over our shoulder.” This is something that bugs me. That she says “Enterprise” rather than “The Enterprise.” Voyager was the first Star Trek show to drop the word “The” when referring to the ship. And I was okay with that because “The Voyager” somehow sounded wrong. In contrast to “The Enterprise” and “The Defant” which both sounded completely natural and right.   Then we got Enterprise, and on that show, they did the same thing. They called the ship “Enterprise”, not “The Enterprise” That annoyed me a little, but I got over it.   But nowadays, in Strange New Worlds, they are referring to the original starship Enterprise, the one commanded by Pike and eventually Kirk, as “Enterprise.” I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. That ship was always “The Enterprise” so that annoys me quite a bit. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Here, in New Voyages, we have the same problem. Carol is referring to Kirk's ship. It should be “The Enterprise”   Marcus told the science council she could terraform Lappa III in less than a decade. But with recent problems with the equipment, it's going to take twice that long. Both Marcus AND the council seem to be very inpatient about that, even though, as Scotty points out, it's a whole century faster than anybody else has done it before. It amuses me to see her pacing impatiently when we're talking timeframes of decades and centuries.    And centuries sounds about right for terraforming, something that, if it is actually possible, is not going to be quick.   Apparently, they're using transporter technology in a whole new way. Scotty wants to see what it's all about. Something goes terribly wrong and the lab explodes. Scotty and Marcus barely escape in their shuttle. But they crash. This was a pretty spectacular sequence.   The Enterprise crew have recovered Scotty and Marcus. Scotty is pretty banged up. Marcus is unconscious but should be out of here soon. But Kirk is very impatient to speak with her. He needs to know what happened on the outpost.   Jacy King plays Carol Marcus. Married to Brian Gross who plays Kirk. She's a good choice. She definitely looks the part, a lot more than Alice Eve did in Star Trek Into Darkness. And, of course, she doesn't have the inexplicable British accent.   I didn't see Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn at the cinema. I don't know if it even showed here in Tasmania. But I was only 4 years old. I saw the first half of it on TV, and then watched the whole thing on VHS many years later. When I watched it, it had been quite some time since I'd seen the original TV series. So I had assumed, from the way she was introduced, that we'd seen the character of Carol Marcus at some point in the past. Of course, that wasn't the case. The back-story of Kirk and Carol Marcus always seemed like this big glaring hole that demanded to be filled. So I liked that Star Trek New Voyages chose to fill that hole.   Carol is shocked and horrified to learn all her team is dead. There's no evidence of alien contact. Kirk is going to begin the investigation assuming it was an accident. Carol wants to be a part of it. She will work with Spock.   But McCoy thinks she needs to work with someone more sensitive to her current emotional needs, given her great loss. So Kirk volunteers.   Carol's terraforming technology uses transporters to re-arrange matter. Seems like a pre-cursor to the Genesis device she'll eventually create.   Scotty thought he saw a ship on sensors, but now they can't detect anything.   Spock wants to run background checks on Carol's staff, considering the possibility of sabotage. She doesn't react to this well. There is now clear tension between her and Spock. He's not sure she should accompany him to the surface, given her “emotional outbursts.”   This episode actually gives a character arc to both Marcus and Spock. Marcus, of course, is trying to figure out how to deal with the painful emotions of having lost her crew, and feeling responsible. Spock, on the other hand, has to learn how to relate to a human who is experiencing very understandable strong emotions. It's a learning experience for both.   A quick zoom out shows us that there is indeed a ship hiding in the system. It's not cloaked. It seems to be hiding in a gas cloud. It's not a familiar design. At least, it wasn't to me, in this shot, but we'll come back to that.   Kirk goes to see Marcus. He apologises for Spock. Marcus has come to agree that Spock asked the right question, she just didn't like it.   We get some insight into why Marcus is so passionate about terraforming. She talks of a famine that happened on a world. People suffered. She wanted to help. Terraforming dead worlds is an answer, but it's far too slow to be of any practical help. She is driven by compassion for people.   She sees herself becoming a mother of worlds   It's a good conversation. There's no flirting or inappropriate behaviour, as you often get from Kirk the minute he meets a pretty girl, Just 2 people getting to know each other.  They're both people with authority. They understand each other   Kir acts s little sheepish as he starts to realise his attraction to her. Maybe he's sensing that he feels more than just sexual attraction. Something deeper.   She's feeling it too   Spock and Carol beam down to investigate destruction site. We see Xon at transporter console. He is the Vulcan character created to replace Spock in the original Star Trek Phase 2 series that was cancelled in favour of Star Trek the Motion picture, because Nimoy wasn't going to be involved in that show. When it became a movie instead of a series, Nimoy agreed to return.   Star Trek New Voyages chose to bring Xon onto the Enterprise as a new character alongside Spock.   Spock and Marcus are learning to appreciate each other. Marcus seems to be a little envious of Spock's ability to suppress emotion as a Vulcan. They've found something on the planet. Not something belonging to the team. It doesn't belong there. They're bringing it aboard for analysis.   Kirk is seeking counsel from bones on how to help Dr. Marcus through what she's going through. He claims he has no romantic interest in her. That would be wrong. Interesting to see Kirk say that when nothing usually stops him. But Carol is going through a great deal of emotional pain at the loss of her friends.   Sometimes in older fiction, like Star Trek, you'll see characters who are trying to comfort someone through grief, and suddenly it becomes romantic. Like they're taking advantage of the other person. Even Star Trek 2009 did this with Uhura and Spock, but reversing the expected gender roles. It felt really odd. I'm glad to see Kirk not doing that here. His relationship with Carol Marcus is one that is important to us as fans, so it's nice to see them doing it right.   When the mysterious object causes problems with their respirators, and even Scotty can't get a lock on Carol, Kirk has a very reckless plan to rescue her. Beaming down without a respirator of his own to give Scotty something to lock onto. It's a plan that could work, but probably not something the captain of the ships should be doing.   We're clearly seeing here how much Kirk cares about her.   Fortunately, it works.   The energy reading of the debris they found looks kinda like the graphic depicting the genesis wave in Star Trek 2. But this doesn't really go anywhere.   Kirk takes carol to the arboretum She's changed into a revealing outfit. Makes me think it's a deliberate date.   Carol is thinking of giving up. Kirk doesn't think she will. She cares too much   Kirk has been there too. At what point do you say, this is enough. Kirk says he'll tell her when he gets there. He's not there yet and neither is she   The way this is written it feels much more real than most of Kirk's many romances, of which there have been many. He's not being creepy. He's not overly flirty. It's just two people getting to know each other, going deep, and forming a genuine bond. Basically it feels like a real relationship.   It's condensed for time so it'll fit into a 1 hour episode maybe, but real nonetheless.   Carol and Spock are also growing in their relationship. A professional one. We get the impression from Star Trek II that Spock knew Carol.   Here's a question. Why does Kirk think it's appropriate to talk to the admiral with his shirt off and slung over his shoulder? I wouldn't dream of talking to my boss half dressed. If I got a surprise zoom call from him, even if I was in an unprepared state, I'd throw on a shirt before I clicked accept.   Anyway, Starfleet are itching to assemble a warfleet to engage the alien ship that might not might not be there. The admiral needs Kirk to get him some real answers. Fast.   And then, of course, we get another scene where a woman walks in on Kirk shirtless in his quarters and gets embarrassed. Seems I only just talked about this an episode or two ago, so I don't have any further comments, other than to notice it happening yet again, in another fan production.   Carol has been working very hard on her investigation and hasn't eaten for 9 hours. Kirk invites her to dinner, which she readily accepts. But it very quickly becomes apparent they're not going to dinner. They have …. Other plans.   It's really not surprising to me that the actors playing Kirk and Marcus are married. You can see the genuine affection between them. I guess that's the elusive thing that people call chemistry. Whatever that is, these two seem to have it, as you'd expect from a real couple.   The next morning, Kirk is finding himself in a bit of a melancholy place, thinking about how the Captain's chair is a lonely one. It was pretty rare for ships captains in Kirk's time to marry. It was a more wild frontier. Gone from earth for years at a time. They didn't really have families on board like they did in the 24th century. That hasn't rarely bothered him with his past conquests. Perhaps because he sees a potential future with Carol.   They're heading for the dust cloud, to try to find that evidence for Starfleet. After going to warp, Sulu says “like a leap on the solar wind” which is, of course, a reference to Firefly. Not sure exactly why they added that.   Spock has found the cause of the explosion. Protomatter. This is something that is mentioned in Star Trek 3. Apparently, David Marcus, Carol's son, used protomatter in the matrix for the Genesis device. It was the only way to solve certain problems. We're told it's use is unethical because it's “dangerously unstable”   Here, in this episode, we get a bit more of an explanation of what protomatter is. It's a remnant from the creation of the universe. It can fluctuate between matter and anti-matter states. If both appeared at the same time, an explosion would occur. It seems the matrix from Carol's experiment was contaminated with protomatter. Something she acknowledged as a very minute possibility, but so unlikely as to be statistically insignificant.  Sadly, it happened.   They've found the alien ship in the dust cloud. My first thought when seeing it this time was “that looks kinda like a Ferengi ship.” The alien's weapons are no match for the Enterprise's shields. They're refusing to respond to Kirk's hails.   When we see a camera point of view from within the alien ship, we catch a glimpse of the side of their heads. It's pretty clearly Ferengi. They claim that the transformation of the planet is a hostile act. When Kirk says they weren't aware of anyone have a claim on the planet, the response is “You didn't ask,” and Spock says they have a point. But ask who? It was an empty planet. Nobody there. It was claimed by no government that the Federation is aware of. Remember, they won't make official contact with the Ferengi until TNG season 1. So it seems to me the Federation acted in good faith with all the information they had available. I don't think they could have asked anyone else.   The alien voice makes it clear they're not interested in discovery or friendship. Only profit. And then, the episode breaks continuity by having the alien not only show his face, but identify his species as Ferengi. This is a really odd move from my point of view. They already had the Ferengi communicating by voice only. And if they wanted to show the Ferengi on screen, they could have done so purely on the alien bridge Point of View. No need for Kirk to actually see them. Why they started this way and then flipped is beyond me. They'd set it up the perfect way to include the Ferengi without breaking continuity, and then they did it anyway.   Enterprise did, of course, have an episode with Ferengi, not at no point during that episode did they mention their name to Archer and his crew.   But it occurs to me now that in Encounter at Farpoint, before that official contact, Picard had at least heard the name Ferengi. So I guess they could have heard that name this early. But it always felt to me like a more recent thing. That they'd heard of this race, The Ferengi, but just hadn't met them yet.   Anyway, the Ferengi claim to have a prior commercial arrangement with the Federation. Something that is news to Kirk. And then he say a very interesting line “The only thing more expensive than a question, is the answer.” I wonder if that's a rule of acquisition. If it isn't, then it should be.   The only logical possibility is that a member of the team on the planet had made an arrangement with the Ferengi. The question is, did Dr. Marcus know about it? Kirk is quick to come to her defence, based on his knowledge of her character. But can he offer any evidence?   Carol is really struggling with having lost crewmembers. It's somewhat compromising her ability to think clearly. This is understandable. Kirk has left people under his command before. He sadly has to let her know that it never stops hurting. I like what they're doing with Carol's character in this story.   That protomatter came from somewhere. Maybe there was a black market going on behind her back she wasn't aware of.   They've detected protomatter in the Ferengi's cargo hold. Sabotage is not a logical possibility. It makes no financial sense to kill your trading partners.  The project was behind schedule. Someone could have purchased the protomatter to speed things up, and it went badly.   Kirk is going to try to bluff the Ferengi poker style to get information. Of course, it would be good for him to be aware of the Ferengi love of Tongo. It was the project director, Dr. Robert Dewhitt, who purchased the protomatter. He was as passionate about the project as Carol was. He must have been desperate.   Carol is going to start over. She's learned a lot from this experience. She knows how to make it work now. She's going to start inventing the Genesis device.   Three days later, they arrive at the nearest starbase to drop off Dr. Marcus. But first, she goes to see Kirk.   Kirk is hoping they can have dinner before parting ways, but she says no. Then Kirk proposes.   It seems pretty sudden after only a few days. But … Carol Marcus is his soul mate.   But she says no. For the reasons she gave in Star Trek 2. For them to be together, one of them would have to abandon their dream. Carol claims she can't do her research on The Enterprise. A lot of her work would require her to be on planets, but surely much of it, especially in the early days, would be lab work. Hard to see why that couldn't be done on the Enterprise. A ship of scientific exploration. Kirk offers to leave the Enterprise, leave Starfleet. But she won't let him do that. Over time, he would resent her for it. Which is possibly true.   She admits she loves him, but, but asks him to stay away. For all their sakes - all three.   And this is where it gets really unfair. She tells him she's pregnant with David, and asks him to stay away. To have absolutely no contact with his son. Ever. This is how it has to be, because this is what Star Trek 2 set up. But I believe Carol is wrong here. I believe she is hurting not only Jim, but David as well. Robbing them both of the relationship they both deserve to have.   This is heart-breaking stuff. Kirk gallantly does as Carol wishes. Honestly, I don't know how he has the strength.   This must haunt him every day for the rest of his life. It would me.   This episode relies on accepting a lot of truncated time regarding Kirk and Carol's relationship. There's no way around that when you're telling the story of the entire relationship in one episode. But I forgive it because it's a great story. A very fitting prequel to Star Trek 2.   As fun as it was, I'm not sure what the point of the framing device with TNG Scotty was, other than maybe to show that the terraforming efforts eventually succeeded and people are living there now. I would argue that it wasn't necessary, and might even distract from the episode. But It was cool either way.   But another little thing. At the beginning, Scotty says that Lappa III was uninhabited - or so we thought. I don't think they paid off that statement. We learn of no indigenous life on the planet. The closest we get to a payoff is the Ferengi, but they're not living on the planet, just trading with one of the crew. So I'm not sure what happened there.   Next time, we're going to look at the first part of Star Trek Coninue's two-part finale. “To Boldly Go.”   I'm looking forward to talking about it.   Don't forget the first three books in my Jewel of The Stars sci-fi series are available on Amazon, Kobok, Google Play, Apple, all the usual places.   Until next time Live long and prosper Make it so.    

In this episode of Star Trek Continues, we are treated to the return of John De Lancie is a new role. But just because he's not playing Q, doesn't mean he isn't awesome. "What Ships Are For" explores an issue that has been topical in our world in recent years - immigration and refugees. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 104 of the podcast. (Yes, I'm counting the chat about DC comics from last time) Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “What Ships are For”.   The description on IMDB reads Kirk struggles with aiding a society whose inhabitants view their isolated world in a very unique way.   This teleplay was written by Kipleigh Brown With story by Vic Mignogna, James Kerwin, and Kipleigh Brown,  It was directed by Vic Mignogna   And it first aired on the 30th of July 2017   When I first heard that Star Trek Continues was bringing in the legendary John DeLancie, but that he'd be playing a character that wasn't Q, my initial reaction was “What a waste of John De Lancie.”   My thinking went something like this. The idea of having Q visit Kirk's Enterprise would be fun. Something that could certainly happen in-universe because Q can travel through time with the click of a finger. But it couldn't have ever been done in TOS because The Next Generation didn't exist yet. It's the similar problem to having Kirk and Spock make references to Archer and T'Pol. While Enterprise took place before TOS, it was created more than 30 years later. These kinds of references and interactions can only be done by fan productions (or maybe Strange New Worlds). But as fun as it would be having Q show up in a TOS episode, it's unlikely a fan production would be able to get John DeLancie.   But Star Trek Continues managed to get him. But they didn't use him for Q. They cast him as another character. Added to the disappointment of him not being Q, was the fact that De Lancie is a very recognisable guy, so seeing him as a different character would be odd to say the least.   After watching the episode the first time, I had to back-pedal my thoughts on this because of De Lancie's great performance. He did a fantastic job with this character, and now it's hard to imagine this episode without him.   The Enterprise is responding to a distress call from an inhabited asteroid with a limited warp capable society.   I like that it's an inhabited asteroid. We always see people living on planets, but I think we need more inhibited moons and asteroids, not only in sci-fi, but in fantasy as well. If I ever write a fantasy book, the world I set it on will be a moon, rather than a planet.   And a nice bit of ongoing continuity, we learn that two Federation starships have been dispatched to investigate what happened to the hood. Both have suffered unexplainable damage. We also learn that Nurse Chapel is already at Starfleet medical, studying to become a doctor. We know that by the time of Star Trek The Motion Picture, Chapen is a doctor. This is the first really big sign that Star Trek Continues is on a trajectory toward that movie, starting to set up some of the big changes that occurred off-screen between season 3 and the movie.   You sometimes see nurses who decide to become doctors in both fiction and real life. It can be almost viewed as a promotion, which, I suspect it technically is, if you look at the hierarchy of authority in a hospital. But nursing certainly needn't be seen as a stepping stone to medicine. Nursing is a respected profession of highly intelligent people. And interestingly, my wife works with a nurse who used to be a doctor, but decided she'd rather be a nurse. You don't often see it go that direction.   The other hint of the motion picture you see is the white medical uniform the doctor at Starfleet is wearing. Kirk jokes that you'll never get him in one of those things.   The Hyalini have refused outside contact for centuries. We know little about them.   We get a little TOS style womp-womp humour, which I don't really care for, but it's very authentic.   When the landing party beam down to the asteroid, they are surprised to be seeing everything in black and white. When I heard that the creative team behind this show were looking for ways to do a black and white episode, I wasn't convinced. But the conceit they come up with works nicely for me as a science fiction concept, and also allows them to approach a topical issue in a very unique way. So good on ‘em.   While they puzzle over what might be affecting their eyes, they are met by Galisti, leader of the inner council, played by De Lanci, and Thaius, their newly appointed ambassador to the Federation.   Galisti is surprised that the human visitors look so much like Hyanoid bipeds. He was expecting a tentacle or two. Thaius is the first to notice that Spock is different from the others. I laughed out loud when she asked with all sincerity,  if he was an Earth female. McCoy managed to get by with a stifled chuckle.   She is also fascinated and delighted by Spock's kindness and gallantry revealed by pure calculated reason.   She notes that in all her excitement at meeting aliens, she didn't see anything other than his ears. “How often we look but forget to see.” This is an important line, not only because of what it says, but because of who says it. As we'll see at the end of the episode.   We also learn that Galisti and Thaius are married. Galisti says “How fortunate I am to call my friend, my wife.” And I totally get behind that. I believe that romantic love is best born out of friendship.That's why I don't understand this whole “friend zone” thing that “the kids” talk about these days.   Kirk struggles to find the words to ask the aliens about the lack of colour. How do you describe colour to someone who has no concept of it? It would be a bit like describing colour to a blind person. There is simply no common frame of reference.   Gaisti and Thaius don't really know what Kirk is getting at, but they assure him the way their world looks is the same as it has always been.   They launch right into an explanation of their situation. Their isolation was never meant to end now. Hundreds of years ago, they united in a goal of becoming worthy to one day join the galactic community (clearly they knew, or believed, that alien life existed). They wanted to become a utopian society, somewhat like what Earth has become.   Spock explains the black-and-white as the property of an unusual form of radiation from their sun, which impairs the cone cells in humanoid eyes. So far, this is just a strange quirk of this world. And Star Trek is all about discovering strange new worlds. But this will come into play in an important thematic way later in the episode.   I love the establishing shot we see of the town. Feels reminiscent of the planet where Pike fought the warrior on Rigel in The Cage. I wonder where they shot it. Might even just be stock footage.   When Kirk is introduced to Thaius's most promising student, Sekara, Kirk goes all … Kirk. When he meets an attractive woman, he can't help but flirt with her.   Things get awkward when Tomiat, one of the council, points a gun to his head and yells that Galisti shouldn't have brought the aliens here. They are all ruined. His perspective seems to be that making contact with aliens, before they themselves are perfect, will destroy them. I can kind of understand why a group of people would want to perfect themselves before joining the larger community, but this guy's ideas seem odd and extreme. Evidently, the others of his people do not share the extremity of his view. He refers to himself as a “true believer”. But a believer in what? Their plan to perfect themselves? What leads him to take the mental jump from “This would be a good strategy” to “if it doesn't go as we planned, we're doomed”? It seems a bit of an absurd leap. I don't know what he's basing it on.   Spock brings things to a peaceful end with a well-placed neck pinch.   That's when Galisti explains that Sekara had a disease. She'll be dead before the year is out. This is why they broke their isolation with the distress signal. They don't know what it is, only what it isn't. These people seem to have medical knowledge at least in line with ours.   McCoy is confident the disease is related to the same radiation that makes everything look black and white. Not sure how he concludes this.   He wants to bring Sekara on board the Enterprise to examine her in sickbay, but Kirk sees a potential issue. On the Enterprise, she'll be shielded from the radiation. Spock isn't certain whether she'll see colour or not, but if she does, it could be traumatic. I can totally get that. Kirk tries to prepare her for what she might see. He does a good job of it. He warns her that it will be unusual, it might frighten her, but it will be safe. She accepts this.   When she arrives in the transporter room, we get the reveal that her skin and hair colouring are not what you'd expect from a human. Greenish skin and purple hair. Cleverly concealed by the black-and-white nature of her asteroid home.   She still sees in black and white for a moment. But then it happens. And as you can imagine, it's pretty overwhelming.She goes into a panic attack. She asks “is it alive?” Again, Kirk does a good job of calming and reassuring her.   This was nicely done.   It's taken millennia for the radiotoxins to induce acute radiation syndrome. Mccoy has started sekaras treatment   Now that she's gotten used to it, Sekara has a real sense of wonder about colour. It's like nothing she's ever experienced before. I like how something that is so mundane to us is so awe-inspiring to her.   The Hyalinans do have limited space travel, but they don't have shields that can block the radiation. That's why they still don't see colour when they travel through space, but Sekara can when on board the Enterprise.   Anyway, treating them for the illness is only a bandaid. It will continue and re-occur as they are exposed to the radiation. But Spock has a daring idea. The spectral signature of the Hyalinus sun can be altered using a modified stellar probe.   This is something I'd approach with caution. You're talking about fundamentally changing the nature of their sun. What un-expected side-effects could that have? What damage could they cause if they do it wrong? But, with lives on the line, they're right to try. They just wanna make sure they do it properly   Sulu is going to accompany Spock down to the surface to see how the radiation has permeated the food chain. For once, he gets to use his botany for the story.   Spock took some scans while he was down there. The tricorder doesn't rely on cone cells to detect colour. His can show there are multiple skin pigmentations on the planet. Sekara has greenish skin with purple hair, while many of the others have orange skin with black hair.   I'm suprised at how shocked and dismayed the crew look. Earth has a number of different skin tones. This needn't be a surprise. But given the history of Earth, I guess the Hyalians might be in for a shock, and it could lead to treating people differently.   Spock and McKenna conclude, in what I think is a bit of a leap, that Sekara and the other minority that share her pigmentation, are aliens. Not native to Hylinus.   McCoy points out there could be other explanations, but Spock has apparently gathered enough data to know there are other differences. These people are unquestionable a race not currently native to Hyalinus.   And that's a very interesting development. Uhura and Palmer are searching for any other habitable bodies nearby.   They have to decide whether to confront Sekara about her origins. McKenna suggests not doing so yet. They don't know who she is, or even whether she knows herself.   Kirk surmises that a species as isolationist as the Hyilini would never allow aliens to live on their world, but given their inability to distinguish colour, they probably don't know. Sekara was born on Hyalinus and orphaned at a young age. Her intense awkwardness in trying to answer when Kirk invites her in, suggests she may be as smitten with him as he is with her.   She asks an interesting question. “What is the purpose of colour?” Is that something you've ever wondered? Probably not, as it's just such a normal part of our existence. Kirk suggests that it provides variety, vibrance, beauty.  Like poetry for the eyes.   This episode makes me wonder. We feel like our perception of vision is complete, but so did Sekara. What if there is something …. Other. Something additional that we can't perceive that another species might. What could that be? I can't even imagine it. It's so outside our realm of experience.    It also reminds me of the Terry Pratchet book, The Colour of Magic. In that book, there is another colour called Octartine. While the book tries to describe it using a combination of other colours, we can't actually conceive of what a colour unknown to us would look like. Because as humans, we've already given names to all the colours that our eyes can perceive. There is nothing more alien than that which you cannot perceive, or conceive of.   And then Kirk gets really creepy. At least, that's how it comes across. I'm not suggesting his advances are unwanted by Sekara. But it seems a little premature. But that's Kirk. At least, how he was portrayed in TOS. Palmer has found radio waves coming from another asteroid in the belt. 2 small shuttlepods approach. Unarmed and barely spaceworthy. The Hyalini lock weapon platforms on the shuttles. The council won't respond to Kirk's hails. He makes the decision to intervene. He destroys the platform after it gets off a missing shot.   The Enterprise is now involved in this conflict. A potential prime directive issue.   Now the council wants to talk. They demand an explanation for the destruction of their platform.   Sekara describes the people on those shuttles as Abicians. They've been trying to sneak onto Hyalinus to escape the consequences of their own savagery for decades. They lie and conceal their identities so that they can benefit from the peace and prosperity that we've worked to achieve. One which they have not earned themselves.   Kirk asks if they are criminals or refugees. Is it a crime to want to live peacefully?   Sekara makes the point, that I think is fair, that Kirk doesn't know enough about the situation to stand in judgement. Her parents were murdered by abicians.   Kirk concedes this. It's all too easy to criticise the policies of another until you lose someone those policies could have saved.   Now, Kirk says something that I think is very wise. “Please tell me, Sekara. I want to understand.”   Their world is in turmoil. Territories perpetually at war. Technological innovation fueled solely by the desire to build better, more lethal weapons. They have squandered their natural resources and polluted their world in the process.  Her parents were part of a diplomatic envoy sent to help. To show the abicians a better way to live. Their ship returned to Hyalinus on auto-pilot and all 18 people on board were killed. Sekara was 10 years old.   Kirk admits that those people who killed her parents were barbarians. But that doesn't mean they all are, does it?   And I think that's the crux of the matter. The biggest issue with what the Hylians are doing is judging all members of a species based on the actions of their leaders. The reality is, the people on those shuttles probably disagree with the violent ways of their leaders. They only want to get away from the killing. As Kirk says, to be able to live in peace.   Sekara says “you assume they think like us. They do not. They do not respect our laws. They do not value knowledge or honesty and they do not question their conscience before turning to violence.   This sounds like something she's been taught, rather than something she knows factually about these people from experience. As Kirk says, have you ever met an abician? She admits her answer is no, but says they've managed to keep them off their world. This is the moment Kirk chooses to reveal the truth. There are hundreds of thousands of Abicians on Hyalinus. They look just like hyalians, unless you can see colour. You are abician. Your parents were abician. That must be an even greater shock for her to accept than the introduction of colour into her world. And Kirk didn't do much to prepare her for that shock. But what could he do? In the end, he had to just come out and say it.   Can you imagine discovering you're a different species to what you thought you were. That you are actually the thing that you have always distrusted?   Sekara now has to face the reality that not all abicians are the way she has pre-judged them to be.   Spock and Sulu have found that the food chain has been affected by the radiation at almost every level, but there is no permanent mutation, which means after they've put their plan into action, future Hylanini should be healthy and free of the disease.   Kirk is trying to reason with the council.  Galisti asks if his people must meet some arbitrary moral standard set by Starfleet in order to receive help. Kirk assures him that is not the case. And that's good. Our compassion for people shouldn't be limited by our agreeing or disagreeing with them on moral issues.   Kirk is trying to understand why the Hyalini see a few people who are desperate for a better life as such a threat.   Galisti gets to the crux of it. “Granting entrance to some is an invitation for all. They would overrun our world.” They have limited resources. They're struggling to feed their own people. This is a legitimate concern.   Kirk isn't suggesting that they open their borders to everyone, but he says they're defensive system is excessive.   This was a very topical issue at the time this episode was made, especially in America, but also here in Australia.   But it reminds me of the jewish people fleeing Nazi germany. They went from country to country in boats that were falling apart. But nobody would take them in. So they'd have to head back out into open sea, where they faced the very real risk that their boats might just sink.   And I wonder, how can people be so heartless? I'm more conservative than the average Star Trek fan, but I don't have a problem with immigration - especially if the people are refugees.  I believe in compassion.   Kirk is trying to be reasonable here and see both sides of the issue. He is taking the Hyaliani's position seriously. But it's difficult to reach any sort of logical compromise when Galisti refers to Abicians as “vulgar, selfish and violent. A scourge .”   This is a very interesting conversation between the characters. They both say some interesting things. Galisti has quantifiable proof that violent crime went up when they suspected Abicians of being on their world, and down again after they started using their weapon, but again, they're pre-judging all based on the actions of some.   Galisti has valid concerns for the safety of his people, as their leader. But I really like Kirk's response to that. “Safety and compassion are not mutually exclusive. Conscience requires balance.” And that's what missing on Hylainus. Balance.   Then Galisti points out the hypocrisy of the Prime Directive, in the way it is sometimes applied in Star Trek. “And you stand here before me, lecturing me about ‘compassion' about ‘balance” You condemn the many for the crimes of none. Who do you think you are?   And I'm sorry to have to say it, Kirk, but he's got a point here. Not necessarily against Kirk specifically, but certainly against the Federation itself. I'm not saying the Hyalnini are right in the way they're viewing and treating their neighbours, but the Federation is definitely not morally perfect, as much as they'd like to think they are.   Kirk is concerned about what will happen once they cure the Hyalini of their disease and their colour blindness. They'll be able to see the abicians all around them. He doesn't necessarily think they'll resort to violence and killing, but he's worried they'll round them all up and send them home, washing their hands of what happens to them.   McKenna recongises that this is deeply personal for Kirk. He's not just angry, he's afraid. Afraid of what might happen to Sekara. He cares for her.  Given the few minutes he's spent with her, I think it's probably more accurate to say he has the hots for her, but this is based on 60s episodic television. So I guess we have to suspect a little disbelief for the sake of truncated story-telling.   Kirk sees that for all their piety, the hyaliani have no problem turning their backs on desperate people. They have no compassion.   And piety without compassion leads to some dark places.   They take help, but they won't give it. Kirk wonders if they deserve his help at all? But as a man of compassion himself, as a man of duty to his principles, does that make a difference? Do you only help those who deserve it? Or is this a case where Kirk has to exercise some costly grace?   Because if he doesn't as McKenna points out, he'll be no better. He'll be turning his back on desperate people with nowhere else to go? Some of whom may not agree with the prejudice of their leaders. And that phrase “nowhere else to go” sparks an idea in Kirk.   Sekara is feeling desperate. She's considering destroying the probe that will save Hyilinus. Because of what will happen next. People will turn on each other. They won't see neighbours and friends, they'll see the brutes and thieves they've heard about.   She asks Kirk to help find another way to help her sun. One that won't change the way they see. But there is no other way. The two are inextricably linked. Kirk talks her down.   She feels so powerless. Terrified of the people she'll return to. Their eyes will change but their hearts may not. Then again - her heart has changed. She is the one person who can change the hearts of their leaders. Galisti and his wife love her very much. She is the proof that Abicians are not all just savages.   It's time to carry out the mission. Kirk warns Galisti that there are abicians living among them. If he repairs their sun, they will be able to see them.    Despite their attitude toward the abicians, the hyalini have accomplished much to be proud of. They have achieved a peace and unity in a short time, that it took earth Milennia to achieve.  All fueled by the hope that they will one day achieve readiness to join the galactic community. But how will they know when they are ready? The problem is, there is no one answer. An undefined finish line means they never have to finish. Your people will never have to leave the comfort and safety of what they have now.    And if you'll permit me, just briefly, to get spiritual, this reminds me of how some people approach God. They feel they need to be perfect first. But of course, that's impossible. I believe that God says, come as you are.   Then we get an explanation for the episodes' title. An old saying. “A ship in the harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are for. Do you serve the hope, or have you twisted it to serve you? After making an impassioned speech, Kirk reveals they launched the probe twenty minutes ago.   Thaius tells Galisti their world is about to change forever, and reassure him her love for him will never ever change. Why would it? He must wonder, until he starts to see colour. I like how, even though the two races have different skin colour, this was never about colour. They didn't even know the difference. It was about fear and prejudice regarding the abician's character.  But their blindness has given them the proof that they were wong. That they need to re-think their attitude toward abicians. There is the possibility that going into the future, some kind of skin-colour-related prejudice may arise, but maybe, just maybe, this experience has taught them the lessons to avoid that.   Galisti marvels at this wonder called colour. But then he looks at his wife. She is abician. She's wanted to tell her for a long time, but she was afraid he'd reject her. “I'm still me, I'm still the same person,” she insists. But Galaisti pulls away from her.   “This changes nothing,” he says.  It seems Galisti is still clinging to his attitude. He can't accept the woman he loves. Kirk has fixed the sun but the asteroid is still bathed in radiation. It needs to be cleared.   Galisti asks Kirk to proceed, but he can't. He says the Enterprise has been called away on an urgent mission and won't have the time.   But then the surprise. It turns out the Abicians have the technology to fix your sun.   “But why would they help us?” Galaisti asks. Why indeed. Because they now have something the abicians need. Medicine. Enough for both worlds. Turns out the abicians are suffering the same disease, but they've had it much longer. It's no wonder their world has fallen into chaos.   These worlds can save each other, but they're going to have to put the past behind them and move on.   Giving half of the solution each to two warring parties, so they are forced to work together, is a very Star Trek way to resolve a plot.   It's very easy to judge Galisti at this moment. He's been given the proof. Why doesn't he see Kirk's point. He's still being a jerk - which he is. But changing your attitude and beliefs is not an easy thing to do. If we're fair, we can't expect Galisti to change his entire outlook in thirty seconds, but you can see that it is starting, as Thaius and Sekara say “there is no them anymore, only us.”   This is an emotional journey for Galisti. One that will take time, but I have confidence that he will change. He has to. If he doesn't, his world will die. This was a powerfully written and performed episode. Another example of why Star Trek Continues deserves to be viewed in the same light as official Star Trek.   Only two episodes remain - the two part finale that bridges the gap between TOS and The Motion Picture. But before we go there, next time we're going to take a brief detour. We're going to talk about an episode of another Star Trek fan show. Star Trek New Voyages “The Holiest Thing” I like to include this one when I do a re-watch of Star Trek Continues, because, like continues, it delves into the history of Star Trek and fleshes out a gap that exists between TOS and the movies. This episode will introduce us to a much younger Dr. Carol Marcus.   Until then, Live long and prosper Make it so.  

In this episode, I talk about some of the DC Comics that I've read in recent time. I cover * Batman: The Killing Joke * Green Lantern Emerald Twilight * Zero Hour: Crisis in Time * Superman: Dead Again   This is a bonus as my next Star Trek Continues podcast is not yet ready. Next fortnight, we'll return to our regularly scheduled program.  

This episode of Star Trek Continues takes an alternative look at what might have happened to the USS Defiant after The Tholian Web, making use of a divergence field so as not to contradict In a Mirror Darkly. It also features a guest appearance of Rekha Sharma, before her role in Star Trek Discovery. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 102 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Still Treads The Shadows”.   The description on IMDB reads The Enterprise becomes trapped on the edge of a rift in space where alternate universes meet and Kirk finds himself having to contend with a ghost from his past and danger in the present.   This episode was written by Judy Burns It was directed by Julian Higgins And it first aired on the 1st of April 2017   And this one guest stars Rekha Sharma of Battlestar Galactica fame, and she actually appeared here long before she appeared in Star Trek Discovery.    The Enterprise is investigating a nascent singularity. A gravitational wave engineer has been sent along to help them. This makes sense to me, while one of Starfleet's primary missions is scientific, and they have their own scientists, if there is no expert on a given field on board, a guest may be sent with them. And if the leading expert on a field is a civilian, it makes sense that a civilian would go along to work with the crew.   There's a stronger than anticipated gravitational wave. It has consumed planets 3 through 8 in ten days and is about to destroy a moon.   It seems our guest, Avi Samara, is on a first name basis with Kirk. She calls him Jim, then corrects herself.   They're detecting an interdimensional rift, like the one Kirk was nearly lost in back in The Tholian Web.   They've detected a lifeform, it's not on the moon as they first think, but on a ship. The USS Defiant.   Well that's interesting. Especially since we know what happened to the Defiant after The Tholian Web. It ended up in the 22 century of the mirror universe. (and that episode aired long before this series was thought of)   Also when The Defiant vanished, there was nobody alive on board.   Samara wants to go aboard to investigate, but Kirk denies her request without explanation.   All the dead crewmen Kirk saw last time are gone. The bridge is empty.   Bones has found the lifesign. It's a much older looking Kirk. Cryonically preserved.   A DNA scan suggests he's not a clone because there's no genetic drift. He's literally Kirk.   Samara's research suggests that rogue singularities can move from universe to universe. The Defiant is stuck, halfway between two universes. Her engines have been modified over a long period of time to reach warp 15.   Old Kirk arrives in the briefing lounge. All this time he thought they'd left him behind. Now he finds his old crew, still young, and …. Himself.   Even old Kirk knows Samara, so they've known each other prior to this mission. Given their embrace it seems they were close.   Old Kirk remembers the attempt to beam him back to the Enterprise, but he found himself back on the Defient. Samara suggests a divergence field. Two Kirks. Two Defiants. They don't know where our Defiant went, (but we do) but this is the duplicate. The other defiant has been in another universe for 217 years. The big question is, who put Kirk in cryo?   The old-age makeup isn't bad. Along similar lines to what was done in the original series. But not at the level of what could be done today with a professional budget. And Vic does a good job of altering his performance, his voice, to help sell it. It would have been interesting if they'd been able to get William Shatner for this episode to play older Kirk. It would be a good way to bring him back, something he's sometimes said he'd like to do if the role was more than a cameo. Fan productions have had original series actors appear in the past, and Continues is one of the most professional.   Part of me wonders if they actually approached him.   Before we can get an answer, a Klingon ship appears. They claim salvage rights over the Defiant but they're struck with phaser fire from an unknown source and pulled into the anomaly   The only other ship here is the defiant but there's nobody on board. That's when old Kirk appears and orders Uhura to open a channel to the defiant.   Kirk speaks to someone called Tiberius. It appears to be an artificial intelligence. It speaks with Jim's voice. It claims to be the protector of James Kirk.   Samara speculates that given the time, the Defiant computer could have developed multi-tronic circuits. Which is a bizarre statement to me. Is she suggesting that the computer evolved? By itself? That's a bit out there.   Tiberius wants its friend back. It wants old Kirk to be returned.   Old Kirk warns against firing at the defiant, saying “you can't give him the power, it feeds the dark.” He then clutches his head and Bones rushes him back to sickbay. That seems to be a foolish move. Clearly old kirk has information. Information about Tiberius that is vital, that could determine their safety. And Bones just gets him out of there before he can give that information. I understand the need to get the older man medical help, he is clutching his head in obvious pain, but this doesn't give the impression of a medical emergency so life-threatening that they can't take a moment to let old Kirk explain. What makes it even worse is that not long after, Bones will confirm there is nothing physically wrong with the man, he's just old, and will send him to McKenna.   Kirk tries to negotiate with Tiberius but it isn't interested in the crew's safety. He blames them for abandoning Kirk, which they technically didn't do. They didn't know the duplicate Kirk existed. And old Kirk tried to explain this to tiberius.   Scotty has found a recording of Tiberius saying “it is forbidden for you to remember.” That's creepy. “Know you are safe. The dark will send you home.”   A brainwashing device. Is Tiberius protecting him from something? Something it thinks old Kirk shouldn't remember?   They've found the duplicate's logs. Duplicate kirk reprogrammed the computer with a new prime directive, to get Kirk home. It's started developing a personality.  Kirk says “he's imprinting on me.” I'm not sure what he means by that.   Now I'm a software developer. Now you can code an artificial intelligence. We've done a little of that at our work, with image recognition, but most of my work relates to an asset management system. It has some cleverness and expert knowledge built into it, but it's essetially a database that stores the details and condition of assets, like bridges. No matter how much data we store in this system, no matter how many features I code into it, it's not going to spontaneously become self-aware. It's going to suddenly transform into an AI application like ChatGPT.  You can make an AI, but you've actually got to code it. Microsoft Word is not suddenly going to turn into Alexa.   I'm just not buying the idea of Tiberius, which makes it difficult for me to connect with this story, because its existence is kind of crucial to that story.   Anway, after 31 years, Kirk is still failing to find a way home.   Old Kirk is back in his old quarters. This was his cabin once. He has a lot fo talk to McKenna about. It took him 4 months to bury all the crew of the Defiant.   McKenna tries to comfort Kirk with the words of The Ancient Mariner. He was given a second chance to help ensure that others don't lose hope.   Kirk is struggling with a sense of betrayal on two fronts, first from his crew he thought abandoned him, and second, from the only “friend” he's had in many years. McKenna says what he needs is to know that although he's lost all those years, he hasn't lost who he is. Interestingly, the best person to help him might be our Kirk. Who knows him better? What would Kirk need to hear if he was in old Kirk's place?   I like that McKenna gets to be a counsellor in this episode.   They reminisce about knowing Samara. Apparently they were close when Kirk was a teenager. Samara rebuilt a biplance.   Another nice touch is seeing the defiant uniform with its custom logo patch. But we'll talk more about that when we get to the finale.   A question old kirk had to grapple with was Are you even a captain when you have no crew? Are you a leader when no one is following? He knew his crew wouldn't leave him, but the decades passed and they never came. You can't replace them because there are no other societies to integrate into. It was a universe of void. Nothingness. When does a machine become conscious? When there is nobody around to say it can't. I never said he couldn't, so he did. And now he's as self aware as he is invincible.   And this is all nicely poetic, but I'm still not buying it.   If he's self aware, maybe he can be reasoned with. Kirk says Tiberious is hiding something. Something so horrific that you could never face it. Old kirk says “the dark.” but he can't remember what that means.   The rift is emitting dark matter. The Computer suggested a new engine design with the power to open a rift home. In year 51, the computer is sentient. And bloomin McCoy, just as old kirk is explaining things, he wants to give him another sedative. Why? I dunno, because it's hard for him to get the words out. I'm sure there's more to it but the episode doesn't really explain the stakes to us. IT almost feels like McCoy is the one trying to keep this horrible secret.   Shared realities. Two black holes that must not merge. McCoy has to finally give him that sedative because old kirk's blood pressure is going through the roof.   Spock speculates on what I think is a really interesting sci-fi idea. Binary black holes. Black holes are basically collapsed stars, right? Two black holes,somehow separated into the two realities? Not sure I'm fully putting together what they're trying to explain. Tiberius was determined to blast through the rift. That would manifest the additional singularity. IF they merge they'll destroy the entire sector. Old kirk pleaded with him, tried to shut him down. Kirk wanted to get home, but not at the expense of this price. The defiant computer must have drained the oxygen to put Kirk to sleep. But how did he get into the cryo pod?   Scotty may have a way to disable Tiberius, but they'd need somebody on board the Defiant to do it. Kirk says he can't send old kirk back, so they'll just have to forget that plan and attack the ship. Okay. Why is it a given that the only person they can send over is old kirk? They have an entire crew of officers. It's a potentially dangerous away mission, yes. But isn't that what Starfleet officers are trained for?  Now maybe Kirk weighs up the risk and decides not to put anyone in that kind of danger, but why does he act like Old Kirk is the only one they could send?   Old Kirk wants to know how things are with young Kirk and Samara. They chose their separate paths. I think old Kirk was hoping they'd gotten together.   Bones and Spock discuss (rather heatedly, from Mcoy's side) the nature evil. Spock argues that Tiberius is not evil. It doesn't have the capacity for that. It only knows logic. Bones argues that Kirk was able to forgive because he's human. Tiberius doesn't get that. An intelligent machine with no mercy. IF that's not evil, he doesn't know what is.   Spock doesn't necessarily agree, but he definitely concede's McCoy's point by agreeing to refer to Tiberius as an “evil twin.”   I think this. It's an interesting little philosophical discussion. THe kind of thing you expect from Spock and McCoy's banter.   With the Enterprise hidden, Kirk proposes a game of chess. If Tiberius wins, he gets Old Kirk back. If the Enterprise wins, tiberius helps them close the rift. Tiberius agrees.   Risky. But I'm sure Kirk has something up his sleeve. Perhaps he's going to have the game reprogrammed to let Kirk win. Something old Kirk did to Tiberius once. This is essentially the same way Kirk passed the Kobayashi Maru.   Tiberius accuses Kirk of cheating, but Tiberius cheated as well when he brainwashed his friend. Then Tiberius vanishes in a cloud of illogic. Now THAT is a classic TOS move. Old Kirk hopes that the AI is not dead. Kirk says it just has a bad headache.   Kirk's trick was a trojan horse program. The defiant auto-diagnostic will restart TIberius in about an hour. There's a nice moment when Kirk makes it clear he includes Old kirk as a senior officer on this ship. The black hole is still a problem. Old kirk is the logical one to go aboard and solve the problem. But he's not in great shape. Young Kirk puts his older counterpart in command of the Enterprise. He's going to the defiant himself. But there's a problem. He'll have to take the defiant back through the rift. He'll end up trapped there, just like the other Kirk was.   Kirk has some guilt over leaving his duplicate behind, even though he didn't know the duplicate existed.   Scotty offers to go with Kirk, but Samara says she's the better choice.   At least Kirk won't be alone in that void universe. He'll have a friend, possibly something more. They do some good body doubling work in this episode, having two kirks on screen at once.   Old Kirk has sabotaged his younger version's plan. He uses a hypo on young Kirk and takes him place. Everyone seems cool with this.   But bad news. Tiberius is back. Old Kirk pleads with him to try to feel. To find mercy. Kindness.   Kirk's only option is to destroy tiberius. Once his only friend. It's a hard thing for him to do. But he has no choice.   I like seeing the TNG style tractor beam effect in a TOS setting. In TOS they didn't have the budget to do an effect for the tractor beam. At least, I assume that's the reason.   I've always liked the look of the TNG era tractor beam.   It seems Samara wasn't sure this would be a one way trip. Old kirk has to stay but Samara doesn't. He kisses her and helps her escape. He saves her, but dooms himself to loneliness and isolation for the whatever remains of his life. I understand. He cares for her. He can't put her through what he's been through. IF she came, after he died, she'd be stuck there for decades alone.   IT's a selfless act.   And Samar is showing a lot of selflessness as well, wishing she could be with him.   When Samara says he's all alone, Kirk says “Not anymore.” What does he mean by that? Perhaps that while yes, old kirk is alone, at least he knows he isn't abandoned.   It's a bit of a dark ending. But a noble one.   This was a mixed episode. There's some stuff I really liked in it, and some stuff I didn't.   Recka Sharma is pretty good in the episode. For a while there I thought I was going to have to say they didn't give her anything to do, but they rectified that toward the end of the episode.   There were a few logic things I stumbled over, but that could be as much my fault as the episode's. But the big issue was Tiberius. I just couldn't buy that. What lifts up the episode, and possibly saves it for me, is the character stuff. Old Kirk's pain, his PTSD from what he's gone through. And the relation between both Kirks and Samara.   This isn't a great episode, but it may still be a good one, ultimately.   NEst time, we'll be talking about the episode “What Ships are Made For” which features a guest appearance by John De LAncie himself, but not as Q.   I look forward to discussing that one with you.   Until then, don't forget to check out Jewel of the Stars at AdamDavidCollings.com/books.   Live long and prosper. Make it so.  

In today's Star Trek Continues podcast, we talk about the episode "Embracing The Winds" which tries to address Janice Lester's claims that "your world of Starship captains doesn't welcome women" in the episode Turnabout Intruder. This episode does a good job of looking at a contemporary issue in a new way through a Star Trek lens. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a Nerd.   This is episode 101 of the podcast.  Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Embracing the Winds.”   And I'm excited to announce that the third book in my Jewel of The Stars series is now available in eBook and print from all the usual retailers. You can find links to many of them by going to books2read.com/jewel3 (and that's the number 2 in books 2 read)   Let me quickly read the back cover blurb and then we'll jump into this episode.   Tourists on a cruise. Stranded in an alien battleground   When their warp drive mysteriously stops working, the luxury cruise ship Jewel of The Stars becomes easy pickings for humanity's enemy – the Dracnor. And there may be an enemy agent on board.   Before the fall of Earth, a madman made doomsday predictions on Captain Les Miller's doorstop. How did he know the invasion was coming? Now that same man has been spotted walking the promenade. Les must stop him, but the evidence contradicts what he knows to be true.   Will the legacy of an ancient war mean the end of the galaxy's last free humans? So if that sounds interesting to you, please consider checking it out. You can find the first links to all the books in the series at AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on Star Trek Continues.com reads   While the Enterprise is sent on a seemingly routine mission, Kirk is recalled to starbase where he faces an ethical dilemma that challenges the very core of Starfleet Command.   This episode was written by James Kerwin and Vic Mignogna It was directed by James Kerwin And it first aired on the 3rd of September 2016   Star Trek has a problem which was introduced in the original series episode “Turnabout Intruder.” That episode postulates that women are not allowed to be Starship captains in Starfleet. Of course, we'll see a number of female captains after this, in Star Trek 4, Yesterday's Enterprise, and Voyager just to name a couple, and we even saw a female Captain before this, back in Enterprise. It seems a very out-dated concept to think that there are not female captains in the 23rd century. So how do you deal with this?   This episode of Star Trek Continues is one approach to try to explain this issue, which I find very creative.   Another approach, postulated by the youTuber Lorerunner, is simply that Janice Lester was mad (just look at her) and the whole rule against women being Starship captains was all in her mind. I don't mind that explanation either.   Interestingly, Star Trek Continues re-shot the final scenes of Turnabout Intruder as a transitional short film to connect to the new show before their first episode.   So Kirk and Spock have been called down to Corinth IV. Sulu is along for sightseeing and Mckennah for work research.   We get a nice little bit of continuity back to the episode “Lolani” dealing with the fallout in the Orion Syndicate, and how things may be changing due to Lolani's influence. And that's beautiful. This is the kind of ongoing continuity you just didn't get in the original series. Not to this extent.   Sulu makes reference to one of his ancestors being in an internment camp during World War 2, which is a nod to George Takai who actually lived that experience.   I love the planet. Very TOS but with effects that couldn't have been done in the 60s.   I have to ask, are there any high ranking Starfleet officers who don't indulge in Romulan ale? Perhaps Admiral Ross really was the only one. Even Spock relents and drinks after the news he's about to be given.   They meet Commodore Gray. She and Kirk have had some differences. She also appeared in Lolani, where she ordered Kirk to return the Orion slave to her master.   The Crew of Hood have been lost. Some sort of life support failure. No evidence of foul play   Kirk and Spock have been called here because the Hood needs a new captain and crew. Starfleet have chosen Spock   Kirk has mixed feelings. I get this. He's proud of Spock and happy for him, but he doesn't want to lose his first officer, and his friend.   But there could be a complication with spock's promotion A Commander Garret had also applied for the job. They decided she wasn't the best suited for command. She has an excellent service record. She has filed an appeal that she's been selectively overlooked because she's a woman.   The Federation was founded around the time of the Romulan war. Earth needed military allies. The Tellarites were founding member. Tellarite men are very adversarial and argumentative. And they frown on female starship captains.  (They probably wouldn't be accepted into the federation at this point in time, certainly not in 24th century, but at the time of the Romulan war, Earth REALLY needed military allies, and the Tellarites were that. Plus they were one of the major races that Earth helped to broker peace with before the Federation was founded.) The Federation isn't technically bound by this but after the admission of Corridan (a continuity nod to Journey To Babel), the Tellarites are threatening to pull their seat from the council.   Kirk says Starfleet has always had female captains (see Enterprise). Laura is an example, but she commands a starbase, not a constitution class ship There is no rule officially. Kirk and Spock are both of the opinion that Garrett deserves the ship and should be given command.   But upon further reflection, Spock starts to consider that Starfleet may have been correct in their assessment of Commander Garrett. Maybe Spock IS the best person for the job. He says his opinion is not based on her gender.   Kirk says something interesting. He says “maybe it should be.”   Starfleet has never given a woman command of a constitution class starship. He's always thought that was just how the cards fell, but perhaps there is a greater good to be considered.   Spock says that if they were to actively and deliberately choose a female officer, Commodore Gray would be the better option, but she doesn't want the job.   And this is an issue which has certainly had relevance of the last century, even today.   When you have an imbalance like this, the way I see it, there are two ways you can address it. The first is to simply remove the bias, and then proceed, hiring based solely on qualifications and suitability. If you have an equal number of candidates from each group, then theoretically, over time, the imbalance will go away, and you should have a roughly even split, though there could be many other factors that would make it not so simple. And in a sense, this seems like the fairest way. Just treat everyone on their merits. The problem with this approach is that it's slow. It could take a long time for that imbalance to be corrected.   The other option, which is what Kirk seems to be proposing, is that you actively seek to correct it, by deliberately hiring from the minority group. In this case, females. You steer the ship the other way to correct it. This will set things right much quicker, but it has its own problem. It means that well-deserving people in the majority group will start to miss out. If you're a male candidate, and would make a great captain, your career is basically on hold. You'll miss out on a job you're qualified for because of your gender. Which, ironically, is the exact problem you're trying to solve. It's just that it's happening to people on the other side now. There are no perfect solutions. I'm sure people much smarter than me have been trying to solve this.   Now Spock is willing to forgoe his own opportunity in favour of Garett, maybe partly because as a Vulcan he has less ambition for personal advancement, but mostly because I think he beleives that is what is right. Spock is a good person.   So now that the desire and intention is there to hire Garret because she is part of that minority group, (and I mean minority in the sense of Starship captains, not in the sense of the population) there is one last thing to consider. Is she actually right for the job based on her merits?   Kirk is firmly on team Garrett right now. But he's been ordered to interview her and form his own conclusions. Spock points out that perhaps Kirk's opinion is coloured by his desire to keep his first officer and friend on the Enterprise. He admits he can't deny that is part of what he's feeling.   Garrett served on the Constitution, the original prototype that the class was named after. When Kirk mentions the loss of that ship, the death of her captain, at Nimbus III, nice little Star Trek 5 reference, Garrett clamps up and doesn't want to talk about it. Her testimony, and her personal logs are all on record. She feels she has nothing more to say, and doesn't want to discuss it face to face with Kirk, a matter he finds unusual, and perhaps a little troubling.   Kirk has filled McKenna in on what's happening. She decides to check in on Spock to see how he's doing, and he seeks her advice. It may not be prudent to provoke the Tellarites at this time. McKenna says the Tellarites rarely make good on their threats, which makes Starfleet's hesitance to give a woman command of a Starship that much more problematic. (which in a sense, I think, takes away some of the drama) She thinks Spock's issue is something else.   She had to work hard to convince people that having a counsellor on board a Starship was a necessary thing.  (which I find extraordinary) but she never felt that the reluctance was because she was female. However, if there is bias in Starfleet it needs to be addressed.   And I think that's a good word. I don't think Starfleet is being deliberately sexist, but there might be a bias, and it might not even be intentional. Spock, as someone whose appearance has often been perceived to be the most important aspect of his identity, has sometimes felt that bias as well.   McKenna says if she ever has a daughter, she would want her to know that anything is within her reach if she works hard enough. And as someone who DOES have a daughter, I feel the same way.   Spock points out that there are things in Garrett's past which require scrutiny. McKenna asks him if she'd be under the same scrutiny if she was a man. He feels she would. But one can never be certain about others' motives.   McKenna adds “but we can certainly be clear about our own.”   Gray growls at Kirk for antagonising Garrett, something he certainly didn't intend to do. In my opinion, Kirk certainly did nothing wrong. But Garrett has petitioned for an immediate decision. A hearing will be held, and Kirk will be one of those making the judgement. Probably the last thing he wanted.   While all of this is happening, Scotty has taken the Enterprise to find what is left of the USS Hood.   Star Trek regularly uses the AB Plot format. Where you have two distinct plots going through an episode. It's generally agreed that this works best if the two are linked in some way, either by plot, or theme. Although it honestly doesn't bother me when they are completely disconnected. But in this episode, the two plots are definitely connected.   When they find the Hood, there are no lifesigns. But also no evidence of an anomaly.  Something is ringing alarm bells in Scotty's head. He doesn't want to tow it back to the planet until he understands more. Chekov is going to remotely re-establish life support. Not sure exactly how that works, but it sounds handy.   He asks to go on the landing party, but Scotty says “not this time,” and then gives the conn to another officer. Chekov is feeling overlooked. Uhura points out that he's gifted but unfocussed. He has wide interests, doing a little of everything, but has no speciality. Uhura recommends choosing something he's really passionate about and focusing on that. Interestingly, I'd imagine being a jack of all trades would be a very useful trait in a command officer. Maybe that's ultimately why he ends up as first officer of the Reliant. In any case, it's really nice to see Star Trek giving Chekov some character development. Who'd have thought it.   Kirk was feeling certain in his decision to support Garrett before he met her, but now, after her evasiness about his questions, and now this push for a decision, he's not so sure.   The courtroom is very reminiscent of the original series episode Court Martial, where witness take the stand, touch a glowing metal disk, and have their service record ready by the computer. (They actually used a similar idea in TNG The Measure of a man.)   As usual, somebody always asks to forgo the reading, but Gray objects. Spock's qualifications are material to this case, which, of course, is true.   Stonn asks Spock how he'd feel if her were to be given command of the Hood, remembering that he is half human. Before he can answer, he asks if his human side played a part in his decision to turn down a role in the Vulcan science academy. Spock says they did not, which the computer picks up as a lie. Interesting.   Kirk objects to this questioning. Spock's race shouldn't have any more bearing on the decision than Garrett's gender. Stonn posits that a person's character, abilities, judgements and strengths are shaped, in part, by their heritage, beliefs, race, even gender. He says some people are uncomfortable with the idea of a female captain. I'm not totally clear on the point he's trying to make, but it seems he is in favour of Garrett.   Kirk speaks plainly. He is convinced that it is absolutely time for a woman to command a constitution class starship. But he is not convinced that Garrett is that woman. Aspects like race or gender shouldn't be the reason a candidate is denied, but perhaps it shouldn't be the reason (or at least the sole reason) they are accepted either.   Remember that officer a few episodes back who had the artificial arm? Well he's on the landing party and uses it to remove something from the Hood's engine. Another nice callback. I appreciate how Star Trek Continues is making use of semi-regular characters. DS9 was the absolute best at doing that. TOS was probably the worst, although the realities of 60s TV certainly play a part in that.   Garrett has been awarded a Tucker memorial medal of honour as well as an aenar award for meritorious service to disadvantaged cultures. Two very nice callbacks to Enterprise. We get a little insight into what happened at Nimbus III. The official investigation found evidence of human error on Garrett's part. An investigation carried out by a Tellarite. She, and others, “plead the seventh guarantee” during the proceedings. I'm not sure exactly what this means, but Garrett says it cannot be taken as an admission of culpability. There are countless other examples in her file. BLooking at Garrett, Gray sees a pattern of somebody who has reacted with hostility and side-stepping whenever her actions have been called into question. She defends this saying that Hostility is an appropriate response to undue scrutiny and discrimination.   The big question is, has that been the case? Has she been treated unfairly? Or does she have legitimate flaws that needs to be considered?   Gray can't say for certain whether Garrett has been held to a difference standard because she is female, but regardless of that, She says it is the duty of a Starship captain to admit, and learn from mistakes. But Garrett is still defiant in her belief that she was not in the wrong. And as viewers we still don't really know if she's right. If not then her behaviour here is not appropriate, but if she truly did nothing wrong, then she's right to defiantly stand by her innocence. But could she have been right in every one of the incidences in her file? Can anyone be that perfect?   Because that's what seems to be holding Gray back. Not the fact that Garrett has made some mistakes, but that she can't admit to them and learn from them. Nobody is saying a captain must be perfect. But they must be honest about themselves.   There's a massive power surge in the hood's engines. The Enterprise can't beam them back because the Hood's shields have gone up. The reactor is going critical. Scotty can't eject the core. It's looking hopeless.   We get some wonderful performances from Chris Doohan and Kim Stringer as Scotty and Uhura realise that they're going to die. Scotty places his hand on Uhura's. This could be seen as foreshadowing of the eventual relationship those two will have in the movie era, but I think it's more just a comfort thing, two colleagues, two friends, who know they're not going to make it. The look on Uhura's face is haunting.   Scotty orders the Enterprise to get as far away ass possibler, to safety.   But Chekov has an idea. Hadley chooses to trust him. It's a very risky manouvre, and it injures chekov, but it works. The landing party are beamed back to safety, The Enterprise escaping just as the Hood explosed.   Back on the planet, the hearing is back in session. Each candidate can make a motion and then the board will give their verdict. Neither Spock nor Garrett has a motion to make.   Stomm endorses Garrett. Gray endorses Spock. The deciding vote is up to Kirk. But before he can make it, they receive a transmission from the Enterprise. The Hood has been destroyed. There is no ship to command. So no promotions necessary.   Kirk has been saved from a difficult decision by the bell.   Garrett wants to make one final statement. There is an underlying issue that still remains. For decades, she believes Starfleet has overlooked officers for certain positions because they are women. They may admit it, it may not even be intentional,    Kirk asks her if she believes a person should be given special treatment because of their gender, religion or race. She feels that yes, they should, if their gender, religion or race has historically been used to deny them consideration.   Garrett now, has turned her focus from herself, specifically, to other female officers. “It may not be my time, but it most certainly is theirs.” And I think this is an important step in character growth for her.   Gray says “We are all in agreement with that. Kirk and Stomm nod.   As Spock leaves, Stomm says “Peace and long life” to him. I think that's his Vulcan way of saying, “nothing personal, Mate.” And Spock's reply of “Live long and prosper” seems to say, “Yeah, not worries. All good.” Chekov is awake and recovering in sickbay. Scotty scolds him a little. His stunt is worthy of a court-martial. Chekov is willing to take whatever consequence Scotty feels is appropriate. Then he realises that Scotty called him Lieutenant. “And thanks him for saving their lives.” And it turns out, this is the origin of the shield prefix code that Starfleet ships will have from now on. Refer to Star Trek II.   Scotty suggests a career in tactical. But they still don't know what caused the overload in the Hood's engine. That worries Scotty. I don't remember if they follow up on this or not. But it would certainly be cool if they did. It's an interesting setup.   Kirk talks to the Tellarite ambassador and learns that there is a growing movement on Tellar Prime that wants to change their policy regarding women in command.   When Kirk says goodbye to Garrett, she speculates, “who knows, maybe some day a Garrett will command an Enterprise. And if you haven't figured it out already, this is when you realise that she is likely an ancestor of Captain Rachel Garrett, of the Enterprise C. The way she says it is a little on the nose, but I like it.   This was another well-made episode of Star Trek Continues. I like how it delves into an issue that certainly has similarities and connections to the real world, but is just a little different. A little sideways. I think Star Trek, and sci-fi in general, tackles issues best when there isn't an exact one-to-one parallel to current events, but that it poses difficult questions that make you think.   Next time, we'll be looking at the episode “Still Treads the Shadow”. I don't remember what this one is about, so I'll find out when I re-watch it.   Don't forget to check out Jewel of the Stars Book 3   Until next time,  Live long and prosper. Make it so.  

I'm very busy preparing to publish my third book and I have run out of time to produce today's episode. I'll be taking a little break over January to rest and publish my book. I intend to be back with regular fortnightly episodes in February.   Thank you so much for listening to Nerd Heaven and have a wonderful holiday.  

On this 100th episode of the Nerd Heaven Podcast, I discuss the Star Trek Continues episode "Come Not Between The Dragons" a deeply thematic episode starring aussie sci-fi royalty - Gigi Edgly of Farscape Fame. Join me as we discuss the episode and it's themes, and then reminisce a little over the last 100 podcasts. (Place button to listen at bottom of page) ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David  Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   And it's a big moment. This is episode 100 of the podcast. How insane is that? When TV shows make it to 100 episodes, it's a big deal and they usually celebrate by doing something special.    I'm going to spend a bit of time reflecting on the past, and maybe having a little fun, at the end of this podcast, But first, we're going to be talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Come Not Between The Dragons”.   The description on IMDB reads A troubled creature pierces the Enterprise hull, pitting the crew against a pursuer that threatens to tear them apart.   The teleplay was written by Greg Dykstra, James Kerwin and Vic Mignogna The story was by Greg Dykstra It was directed by Julian Higgins And it first aired on the 28th of May 2016.   And just a little warning, this episode deals with themes of violent abuse by a parent.   The first thing you'll notice that's special about this episode is the presence of Aussie sci-fi royalty - Gigi Edgley. Most famous for her role in Farscape as Chiana. In this episode, she plays Ensign Eliza Taylor. And the cool thing is, they let her keep her Australian accent for the role. I don't hear many familiar aussie accents in Star Trek, so I found that pretty cool.   While I gave up on it too early back in the day, I've become quite a fan of Farscape, so it's very cool to see her here. By the way, I can't believe I didn't notice it, but a few episodes back, in The White Iris, the character of Amphidamas, the alien representative, was played by another member of sci-royalty, Colin Baker, who played the 6th Doctor on Doctor Who. I'm unbelievably embarrassed that I didn't notice and comment on it. Sorry about that.   This one starts off seeming to be a monster story. But we'll soon learn that it's not. This is a real thematic message show, but one with a real difference.   Scotty is currently in command. Eliza Taylor hands him a padd. And then Kirk enters. 8 ships have been destroyed studying an accretion disc. But the crew have been rescued   It's very telling of Scotty when Kirk says “at least there were no casualties” and Scotty says “there were - the Lexington.”   With the shift over, Smith and Eliza leave the bridge. Smith and McKennah are heading to the rec room, and they invite Eliza to join them. I get the impression she's not quite part of their little friendship circle, but they're welcoming her in. And isn't that just the way a friendship group should work? I know it's not easy. You really need an extrovert in your group to do the inviting, but cliques are not healthy, and being excluded can be quite hurtful - even for an introvert.   The Enterprise suffers a hull breach from a meteorite travelling near light speed.  As Chekov says, “that should be impossible.” But I'd have to believe that an object travelling that fast making impact with the ship would have to completely destroy it, so there must have been some substantial and rapid deceleration.   Whatever it is, is moving through the ship, from Deck to deck. Scotty can't find it. As we end the teaser, we see that whatever it is has broken into Eliza's quarters. But we don't see it, only her reaction.   This is an okay use of the ‘hide the monster' trope because we'll almost immediately see what she's seeing after the credits, but her reaction gives us a powerful hook. And Taylor isn't sure what she's looking at just yet. We experience it with her as the thing slowly unfolds. Some kind of lifeform. Hard and rocky with glowing eyes and a part that looks almost insectoid.   This creature was a practical effect. The alien was designed by the writer of this episode, Greg Dykstra, who appeared in the previous episode as the union doctor. He pitched this story to Vic because it was very personal to him. We'll get to that. Dykstra designed the alien and then they got a creature effects company to actually build it. It was huge. An actor could wear it as a suit, but it was very heavy and hot, so the guy they cast needed to have breaks.   I'm a big lover of CGI creatures, but I have to admit that this alien works very well as a practical effect. It looks awesome. It provides a link to the original series who always had to use practical effects, because CGI wasn't a thing yet. It's also fitting because we have a Farscape actor in this episode, and Farscape was really into practical creatures, being made by the Jim Henson company.   The alien stands tall. Much bigger than a human. It's bipedal. Taylor cowers in the corner and throws something at it. It retreats.   I'd say Taylor reacts in a very non starfleet way here. She's trained to experience the unexpected. But she may be a new officer. This might be her first experience with the unknown. And despite all your training, seeing something like that in person for the first time could be quite scary, especially if it suddenly appears in your quarters. So I can't judge her too harshly.   It doesn't take long to find the intruder. It rips holes through walls. It's not exactly subtle.  Kirk begins by assuming the intruder is intelligent. He asks if it understands him. The lack of reply certainly doesn't imply a lack of intelligence, though.   Kirk calls the transporter room and asks the chief on duty to beam it out of here. Now when I hear that, it implies to me that Kirk wants it beamed into space. But he asked the chief about his intra-ship beaming skills. Either way, Kirk's order is very imprecise. Where exactly does he want the chief to beam the intruder to? In any case, the alien can shield itself from scanners so they can't transport it.   Kirk's next action is strange. He throws some debris at the alien. The alien reacts pretty much as any lifeform would to being attacked. It lashes out in self defence, requiring security to stun it with a phaser.   I'm not sure what Kirk was trying to accomplish there, but it certainly didn't help build any rapport of trust between them.   Kirk and Bones have found some fascinating things about the creature's biology. It's a unique lifeform - probably natively spaceborn. It has multiple hearts and no lungs. But all McCoy's tricorder will register is a rock. Again, suggesting the creature can shield itself from their sensors.   Spock and Uhura have configured the universal translator to better work with the alien's unique vocalisations. I don't know that we've ever seen a hand-held universal translator like this in TOS before, but I could be wrong. In the TNG era, we know that Starfleet universal translators are embedded in the com badge (while Ferengi use implants in the ear)   Kirk gives the honour of speaking to the alien to Taylor, as she was the first human to encounter it. This is a big deal. First contact is what Starfleet are all about, afterall.   Taylor seems to carefully consider what her first words should be. She wisely, in my opinion, chooses to start with “I'm sorry if I hurt you.” and then asks what it's called. It replies, Usdi. When asked why he came here, Usdi replies “Me. To. Hurt.” That doesn't sound good. Is it a threat? It's hard to tell with such a limited understanding between them.   Usdi is an example of a cosmozoa, a space-fearing lifeform. His species is called the Utana.   Something out there is using a form of echo-location to search for something. The shockwaves are damaging to the ship.   When the next wave hits, Spock begins to act very strangely. His voice filled with anger, he calls Udsi disobedient and demands his respect. Fires a phaser at him. He then attacks Taylor when she tries to intervene, and blames it on Usdi.   This, I believe, is a common thing with people who struggle with extreme anger problems. Blaming the subject of their anger for their own actions.   Something is clearly going on with Spock. He's not himself. Perhaps in a literal sense. But others are feeling it too. Kirk is the first to vocalise his concern, in a way, opening it up for others in the bridge crew to discuss what they're experiencing without fear of judgement. Checkov is feeling suspicion and paranoia.   Spock's in a bad way. We learn that the part of the brain responsible for suppressing emotions in Vulcans is called the mesiofrontal cortex. So that's pretty cool. But it's working so hard right now McCoy is worried it'll burn up. Spock is filled with powerful emotions. But they're not his. Spock is also physically injured. Possibly from his dust-up with the alien. He asks Spock to lock him up. He's dangerous. Something dark and dangerous in his Vulcan mind is being awoken. Kirk would do well to follow Spock's recommendation here. Spock knows what he's talking about, and currently still has the presence of mind to communicate it.   The next wave is stronger than anything so far. It drives Spock to rampage through the ship after the alien. He says “Usdi is hiding from me.” He looks like he'll tear the alien limb from limb.   After Kirk stuns him, he orders Spock put in the bridge. McCoy argues against this, because Spock is not himself.   The funny thing is, Kirk is right. He's absolutely right. For the wrong reason. He's wanting to put Spock in the brig as punishment for insubordination. McCoy is right that Spock isn't himself, but he needs to be put in the brig for his own safety, and the safety of those on the ship.   When McCoy helps Kirk realise that he's not himself either, that he's filled with unnatural anger, he changes his turn and has Spock taken back to sickbay under double restraint. Yeah, good luck with that.   The brig was the best option for now. He still needs medical care, of course, but I wouldn't be trusting any restraints, double, triple, or quadruple, in sickbay when the next wave hits.   By the way, this is the third episode in a row to have original music composed by Andy Farber. And I have to give it to the student musicians that are performing it, they're brilliant.   While all of the crew are experiencing elevated levels of anger, and lowered patience, Kirk and Spock specifically seem to be experiencing anger directed at Usdi.  It's like when Spock was stunned, Kirk became the new puppet of this force. Kirk refers to Udsi as a delinquent brat. He also describes him as disobedient and undisciplined.   I'm embarrassed to say the first time I watched this, I didn't put it all together until later, but watching it now, it all seems so obvious what we're dealing with.   Taylor is hiding Udsi in her quarters. She calls in McKenna for help. She doesn't know who else to turn to.   Taylor has figured out that Udsi is familiar with these waves. And he gets more and more afraid each time one of them hits. McKenna is now having her rage directed at Udsi, as the latest wave hits. “You must have done something to deserve this,” she says. Could it be the proximity to Udsi is what focuses the rage, while those who've had little or no contact with him just feel general anger directed at whatever is at hand?   But the most interesting thing of all is that it's pretty clear at this point that Taylor is not being affected. She may be the only one on the ship that is truly herself.   McKenna is very aware of her condition. She's trying to push through it. But it's hard. Taylor made a wise choice here. As a trained counsellor, McKenna may have more tools at her disposal to fight this anger than the rest of the crew. She genuinely wants to be free of it.   She needs alpha wave generators. When she says “Leave McCoy to me” I wasn't imagining she'd just slug him in the face and knock him out, but it was effective. She can't fight the anger in her, but here she was able to use it for something good. Well, not that punching McCoy is good, but it's for a good cause in helping her in her mission.   She asks for the alpha generators from a nurse, but not chapel. She calls her Sarah. While I like seeing familiar characters show up in this show, it's kinda cool that they're filling out the medical staff. It often felt, in TOS, like McCoy and Chapel were the only two medical officers on the ship. We know this is not true, of course, but the budget likely didn't allow for filling sickbay with extras.   Scotty is reacting to all of this a little differently. Rather than getting angry at everyone, he's having a lovely old time drinking. Scotty hasn't had contact with Udsi, so his priorities are different. He cares, as he always does, about his engines.   They have now cured a couple of crew members of the anger influence. They have McKenna, Uhura and a redshirt. They figure that Usdi is hiding from the ship that is generating the waves. But he's not talking.   The redshirt figures out if they move Usdi to engineering, the ship might have a harder time locating him. He's able to simulate Scotty's voice using the universal translator, and a little technical magic from Uhura. He calls for an evacuation of engineering. But Kirk sees through it, because he knows Scotty is in the brig.   Once engineering is cleared, all they need to do is beam there with Udsi. Saves trying to drag him through the ship in front of crew who want to attack him.   Smith finds McKenna and the transporter chief in the transporter room. She's still under the influence of the waves. Kirk should be here soon as he told Smith to meet him here. We're not sure what he's doing on the way yet.   Smith insists that Udsi is going to get what he deserves. McKenna gets her to stop and think a little when she asks “Why”. Smith can't answer, because she's being motivated not by logic or reason, but by emotions. Emotions that are clearly not hers.   McKenna's question, and her offer of an alpha generator definitely gives her pause. If Kirk hadn't called her, she might have relented, but a conflict ensures. Possibly not a great idea of McKenna's to attack her while she was distracted. Smith is clearly the better fighter, and the fight only serves to feed the anger.   I'm noticing that in this episode, there's a real focus on the female characters. Taylor, McKenna, Smith, Uhura. They're all taking on significant and powerful roles. But the episode doesn't make a big deal about it. And I think that's the best way to do it.   I recently watched the Star Trek animated episode “The Lorlelai Signal”. That episode came up with a convoluted way to put Uhura and other female officers in charge of the ship, and then have Uhura do very little. This episode succeeds well where that one failed. And I don't know if this was even a deliberate and active choice, to make this a female-centric episode, or if it just ended up that way. And I think it's better for it. Contrast this to that scene in Avengers Endgame which just felt a bit on-the-nose to me.   Anyway, I'm loving it because these are great characters played by great actors, and I'm enjoying seeing them get to do much more than the original series would have allowed them. I'm especially enjoying how they're developing Smith.   Usdi is communicating with Taylor again. She says she understands, but we're not hearing a verbal translation this time. So … I'm not sure how that works.   Kirk beams in with Smith and several security officers. Kirk has a big phaser rifle, so that's what he was up to. That's not good.   All 4 of them fire their phasers at Udsi. Luckily, he survives. His body is essentially made up of stone, afterall. Interestingly, the Utana feed on space-born rocks and minerals.   Those under the influence are subdued, mostly because of quick thinking on the parts of Taylor and Uhura. With generators on their arms now, they'll all be able to think clearly.   Honestly, I'm not sure it would have gone down that way. Kirk and his team seem to be the better fighters, and they all started armed with phasers. But let's apply a little suspicion of disbelief so the good guys can win and move the plot forward.   The ship has arrived in visual range, but it's not a ship. As the image appears on the monitor, we see that it's another Utana, but much bigger than Usdi.   The entire crew are wearing alpha generators now, so we've resolved that particular conflict and moved on to the next. I think that was a good choice for the script. We don't want an entire episode of mutiny among the crew, because ultimately, that's not what this episode is about.   Kirk surmises the difference in size between Udsi and this attacker could be the difference between an adult and a child. And he's right.   Greg Dykstra actually chose the Cherokee word Udsi, which means little, as the name of the alien. When we first see him, he seems anything but little, but now, as we realise he's a child, and he's very small compared to the adult outside, the name makes sense.   Scotty apologises for his behaviour. Hardly necessary, since they were all in the same boat. Kirk's answer “I'll fire you later,” reminds me of a line he'll say much later in Star Trek 3. “Fine. I'll kill you later.”   The adult refuses to respond to hails. It attacks the Enterprise. I wouldn't necessarily expect a space-born lifeform to be able to receive and respond to subspace radio signals. But anyway.   Spock points out what might be their only logical option to survive this. Release Usdi into the adult's custody. But how can they? That thing wants to kill him.   Kirk finds an alternative. Fire a torpedo at the part of the alien's body that seems to be generating the destructive waves.   When Usdi sees the attack against the adult on the screen, he says “Usdi protect.” Taylor misunderstands. Usdi isn't asking for protection. He's stating that he must protect the adult.   Taylor goes to the bridge to explain the situation. The alien out in space is Udsi's father. Usdi has left the ship. Positioned himself between the Enterprise and his father. The attack has stopped.   If we haven't already figured it out, we realise at this moment what this episode is really all about. This is about parental abuse. Greg Dykstra wrote this story because there was a history of this kind of abuse in his family. His grandfather had been a violent abuser. It had affected his father and grandmother profoundly. He wanted to explore that theme, and a Star Trek episode turned out to be the perfect tool for that kind of thematic expiration.   The creatures look at each other - moving their heads. Most likely engaged in communication we can't perceive.   Now it's time for Kirk to make one of those famous Starfleet captain speeches. He points out that while all the entity's anger was directed at his child, Usdi still protected him. Udsi saved his life, because The Enterprise would have killed him.   Only time will tell if that will make a difference.   This is the heart of the message that Greg Dykstra wanted to get across. That despite the hurt and damage caused by an abusive parent, the victims of that abuse still love the parent. It's a complex paradox. A difficult one.   There's a nice scene between Kirk and Spock. I'm noticing that over time, Todd Haberkorn is winning me over more and more as Spock. It just took a little longer than with Kirk and Scotty. But he really is doing a good job of it.   Kirk is used to being able to persuade others with words. He's frustrated that he was unable to convince Udsi's father to change.   Spock points out that the alien had a deeply ingrained behaviour. Did he really expect to be able to change that with words? With one conversation? This also, is very thematic. I'm sure there are many loved ones of violent abusers who want so desperately to change that person. But it's probably not an easy task.   In the case of Greg Dykstra, his father learned to move on from the experience, but his grandfather never changed. Never overcame that darkness inside him.   Ultimately, Kirk didn't expect silence.   But maybe silence isn't so bad. Maybe silence represents thinking. Maybe a contemplation of one's own actions is better than lashing out.   Kirk wonders, what would it take to change someone like that?  Spock's answer, “one is better able to lead someone down an unfamiliar path when one has already been down that path oneself.” Wise words.   Kirk is a little surprised to learn that Spock has regular conversations with McKenna about life and people.   This, I believe, is the first hint of a growing connection between those two characters. We'll continue to explore it, to see where it might lead.   They've found where Udsi and his father have gone. Kirk goes to see Taylor. “I wasn't able to reach him, but maybe you can.”   Spock's words have sparked an idea in Kirk. And I think maybe he knows something about Taylor that we don't yet.   Gigi Edgley's acting in this scene is wonderful. (not to mention the CGI shot of the Enterprise parked next to the cloud)   Taylor knows that Usdi came to her for a reason.  “Your son loves you very very much. Just like I love my father,” she says. “I know in your heart that you're not a monster, but every time you lash out in anger at your son, you become less the father he loves, and more the monster he fears. Please, find a way to heal yourself. Because my father never did.” The alien says one word back. “Heal.”   “Change for Usdi.”   I'm sure this alien has a difficult challenge ahead of him, but maybe, just maybe, he can do it. Because Taylor reached him.   Wow, what an emotional scene. Huge credit to Gigi Edgely for this. What a legend. And huge credit to Greg Dykstra for a powerful story.   This episode is something of a masterpiece. This is true Star Trek at its core. One of the things I love so much about this episode, is that it's a thematic episode, it's a message episode, but there's nothing political or controversial about it. It's the kind of message I've never seen in a TV show before, but it's an important message. The creators of this show found something important to say that not many others have said before. And I'm not saying sci-fi shouldn't address political or controversial issues, but I think this episode left the well-trod paths and found something new and interesting to say.   When we watch a show like this, it's easy to think, “well, obviously this is not for me. This is for those deeply problematic people, those violent abusers, the ones with the real problems. But maybe rather than thinking about others we know who need to hear this, we should stop and think, what can I take away from this.   Most of us are not violent abusers. But most of us who are parents, at some point, have become exasperated with our children. Have lashed out and treated our kids more harshly than they deserve, because of frustration. Maybe it's because the child has genuinely done something really bad, or maybe it's pressure in life that has nothing to do with them.   I know from time to time, I've taken the time to stop and examine my parenting. To ask hard questions of whether I'm taking my frustrations out on my children in a way that I shouldn't. To see if there are any changes that I need to make in how I parent. And I think that's a healthy thing to do. For the sake of our kids.   Anyway, Star Trek Continues never fails to impress me. It's just a whole other level above most other fan productions in so many ways, and honestly, sometimes better than actual real Star Trek.   So as I said. This is episode 100. I still can't believe I've been talking about sci-fi for that long. It seems only yesterday that I started Nerd Heaven.   It was the 6th of December 2019 when my first podcast went live. I talked about Star Trek: The Next Generation “Best of Both Worlds.” I was doing a little series in the lead-up to the launch of Star Trek Picard season 1. Covering episodes and movies that I had selected as a good lead up to the new series based on what I'd seen in trailers. It was a fun little series and allowed me to cover some old favourites.   I remember I'd recorded just enough episodes to release one weekly until the premier of Picard episode 1. I did them in a big batch and scheduled them for release so they'd drip out while I was away on an extended Christmas holiday. We visited family in Tamworth, New South Wales, and then took a carnival cruise to New Caladonia and Vauatu. What a wonderful experience that was.   After finishing Picard season 1, I did a few random things. I talked about my own history with the Star Trek franchise, I covered the remaining TNG movies I hadn't already talked about, and I watched Stargate Origins: Catherine for the first time. I also started looking at Lord of The Rings, both the book and the movies. I never actually finished that series though. I was doing a walk to Mordor challenge, but the unexpected pandemic kind of got in the way of that.   I then started going through the movies of the DCEU. I really love some of those movies, like Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. And I had a lot to say about them.   After making my way all the way to Shazam, it was time for Star Trek Discovery season 3 to come out, so once again, I covered this show live as I did with Picard. This was really challenging. I'd watch the episode on Friday night just for fun. Then I'd watch it again on Saturday morning, taking notes. Then I'd record the episode, and spend most of Saturday afternoon editing and publishing it. It really did consume a lot of my weekend. In addition to doing a travel vlog on youtube, this is when my writing life really took a hit. I no longer had time to work on my books.   After I finished Discovery season 3, I knew I needed to make a change. I couldn't keep up this pace. And there were so many other content creators covering new Star Trek. I couldn't compete with them. Even today, after 100 episodes, I only average around 10 to 20 listeners per episode. Not big numbers. Not enough to justify the huge amount of work I was putting in. I needed to have the freedom to spend time with my family.   So I made a switch to covering retro stuff. Doing re-watches of old classics. Stuff I'd loved in the past that I really wanted to talk about.   The obvious choice there was Stargate Universe. A divisive show. A show that so many dismiss. But I knew the show had something to say. And I knew I had a lot to say about it, beyond just the question of whether it's good or bad.   While this was a less crowded niche, I didn't suddenly become a superstar, but I did pick up some new passionate listeners, which I really appreciated.   In any case, I now have a complete set of podcasts discussing every single episode of SGU. That will stand forever as something people can find and enjoy. And I'm really proud of that.   After finishing SGU, I jumped into Star Trek Continues because again, there were things I wanted to say about it. And I'm having a blast.   So what lies in the future? I'm not sure. I have plenty of ideas of shows I could talk about after I finish Star Trek Continues.   The biggest challenge I face is balancing all my creative endeavours. This podcast, my travel vlog, and my writing. I still don't have all the answers, but at least I'm not burning myself out like I was this time last year.   I'm pleased to say that I have got back into my writing and at the time of recording, I'm nearing the time where I'll finally publish book 3 of Jewel of The Stars. I can't wait to talk about that in a future episode of the podcast.   I want to thank all those who have listened to this podcast. I'm sure my audience has changed over times as I've covered different shows. I don't know if there's anyone listening who's been around since the early days, but if there is, let me know. Because that would be really encouraging.   Next time, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Embracing the Winds.”   Until then, have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.  

Today in the podcast, we talk about the Star Trek Continues episode "Divided We Stand" which sees Kirk and McCoy living out something of a nightmare in the American civil war. And we discuss what the mysterious nanites might represent in the greater world of Star Trek. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 99 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Divided We Stand.” And if you'd like to check out some of my original science fiction, head over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   I recently appeared as a guest on the Yum Yum Podcast with fellow Australian nerds, Ryan and Rachel, discussing the Babylon 5 episode “Ceremonies of Light and Dark.” If you love Babylon 5, as well you should, be sure to check out the episode, and all the other stuff that Ryan and Rachel do at Yum Yum Podcast.   The description on IMDB reads After an explosion on the bridge resulting from a failed attempt to isolate the ship's computer from a nano-virus, Kirk and McCoy wake up to find themselves in the middle of one of America's bloodiest conflicts.   The teleplay was written by Marc Cushman & Susan Osborn With story by Vic Mignogna and additional material by Todd Haberkorn It was directed by Vic Mignogna And it first aired on the 25th of September 2015.   This episode was dedicated to the memory of Grace Lee Whitney. Another of Star Trek's veterans who sadly passed away during the making of this show.   This one gets right into the action, making good use of the captain's log to skip past all the setup and throw us right in the thick of the crew's trouble. The Enterprise computer has been infected with a virus, or as Kirk calls it, a pathogen, a term I haven't heard in computer science before. This happened when they tried to make contact with an old Earther probe called Friendship 3. This is significant, because, as you may remember, Voyager once encountered the predecessor - Friendship 1 - in the Delta Quadrant.   What makes this pathogen interesting is that it is of a much more advanced technology than the primitive earth probe. It is quickly migrating through the entire ship, Spock's library computer, scotty's engineering specs.    Spock doesn't think this is a virus, and it's not singular. He says he detects hundreds of thousands of microscopic objects. So…are we talking actual physical objects? He's also seeing evidence of high-level intelligence.   McCoy shows a startling lack of awareness as he casually arrives on the bridge and berates Kirk for not keeping his medical checkup appointment. Now if the circumstances were different, McCoy would be well within his rights, but it's very obvious that the bridge crew are in the middle of a crisis. Kirk clearly has a good reason for missing his appointment and this is not the time or place to hassle him about it. That time will come later, of course.   The intelligence of whatever is invading the ship is growing.   As the bridge controls overload, Kirk finds himself in a very unexpected place and time. He's on a primitive battlefield, surrounded by men firing rifles, and wearing unfamiliar uniforms.   This scene marks “Divided We Stand” as the first episode of Star Trek Continues to take us off the ship. If you think about it, the last four have all taken place on board the Enterprise.   If I'm not mistaken, this is the American civil war. Is this a holographic simulation? A fantasy created by a being like Trelane? In Star Trek, there are many possibilities, but in their shoes, time travel wouldn't be my first thought. I mean, what could have caused it right? So Kirk and McCoy would be feeling understandably disoriented and confused. But, they're in uniform, which means they're expected to fight. At the very least, they can't just sit here and wait for the bullets. They may have to play along until they figure out what the go is. But they wisely manage to remove themselves from the situation to avoid taking any rash actions they may not be able to undo.   They wisely also choose to treat this as real, and not take any unnecessary risks.   Now, you'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge about his particular event in history. Oh, I know the basics. North vs South. I believe it was primarily fought over the issue of slavery, although they may be more to it? I imagine American audiences would be able to tell immediately by looking at their uniforms, which side Kirk and McCoy are meant to be on. At this point in the story, I haven't figured that out yet.   The interesting thing is, it seems that they are both on different sides. Now THAT could make things interesting.   And it was cool to see Dr. M'Benga in this episode. It's only logical for him to step up and take on the role of chief medical officer while McCoy is missing. I believe M'Benga only appeared in two episodes of the original series, although he is, of course, a series regular on Strange New Worlds. At the time of recording, I still have no idea why, although he was chief medical officer under pike, he seems to have been demoted by TOS. I mean, he's still serving on the Enterprise but McCoy is chief. So what happened? Strange New Worlds is gonna have to address that at some point.   At first it seems strange that Spock is asking M'Benga about the computer virus. Why would  you have a medical doctor assess a computer problem? Then we pan over and see Kirk and Bones unconscious in bio-beds, their faces pale. Whatever has infected the ship has also infected their bodies.   I think this episode is lacking some precision of terminology when it comes to what we are dealing with. From what I gather, this isn't a computer virus, which is simply a self-perpetuating piece of software with malicious intent. It's some kind of swarm of small physical objects that are interfering with the computer somehow, but also invading Kirk and McCoy's bodies.   M'Benga can't prevent the spread of these things in the human bodies, he can only slow it, but in a day or two, they'll be dead.   So, what we can gather so far is that despite the episode descrition, we're not dealing with time travel here. We're dealing with some kind of mental projection from an alien entity.   Kirk refers to McCoy as a southern gentleman, so I gather his uniform is from the south. But then again, McCoy himself IS southern, so Kirk could be referring to that. A group of Kirk's team find them. They assume McCoy is Kirk's prisoner, at least until they notice Bones still has his weapon.   The leader of this group is pretty aggressive toward McCoy, but then, this is war. He takes Kirk's word for it a little too easily when he pretends to be a famous Kirk from the time, especially given his uniform has the wrong rank.   The leader is shot by a sniper on the other side. And we get verbal confirmation that McCoy's uniform is confederate, which I believe is the south. Kirk wants to bury the confederate sniper. The northerners are hesitant. Afterall, he's the enemy.   Kirk tries to preach the virtue of having compassion for all people, even one's enemies, but they're not very interested.   It's hard to judge them too harshly. Kirk is correct, of course, but it's not easy to have compassion on somebody who just killed one of your own - probably a friend.   McCoy could easily save this wounded soldier's life with 23rd century technology, but it'll be a challenge with period instruments. But I don't think it's just technology. A doctor of the time could probably do a lot more because they're familiar with the equipment.   McCoy raises the typical time travel problems. What if man is supposed to die and they heal him, or what if he was supposed to live, but by being here, they caused him to get shot? Being in the past is very risky. Of course, they don't know that they're not actually in the past. They have to treat this as if it's real.   Like the previous episode, this one had new music composed by Andy Farber and performed by the STC Orchestra.  Back in the original series, they didn't write all new music for every episode. Each season, they'd record some new music cues to add to the toolbox, and a music editor was apply them to the scenes of episodes, But when something big, special, or out-of-the-box happened, they'd write specific new music for it.   That's kind of how they did this episode. With all the civil war stuff going on, this episode really cried out for new original music. They re-used stuff where appropriate, but created new stuff where it was needed.   Some really interesting trivia. They used the melody of Uhura's song about Charlie, in the episode Charlie X, but that melody actually dates back to the American Civil war. It was a folk song about union volunteer soldiers. In this episode, it becomes Billy's theme.   Spock and Scotty have found a way to draw the alien presence out of the Enterprise computer. It's attracted to new sources of information. They can lure it into a backup module and then jettison it.   I'm a little shocked that Spock chose to destroy the jettisoned objects with the phasers. Yes, they were an infestation that caused problems to the ship, but there was also evidence that collectively, they represented an intelligent lifeform. It doesn't seem very Starfleet to just blow them up. Once removed from the ship, they were no longer an immediate danger.   In any case, the ship is safe. Now they've just got to save Kirk and McCoy.   The northerner doctor doesn't care about uniforms, he is just happy to have another set of hands to help the wounded. And as a doctor, McCoy is willing to help whoever is in medical trouble, regardless of who they are.   Spock clearly values McKenna's services. He knows that this will be a stressful time for the crew, with the captain and doctor incapacitated. But he naturally assumes he is immune. McKenna not-so-subley makes it clear she is available to him as well.   It raises the question of Vulcan mental health. Vulcans have emotions, strong ones, so it would seem that counselling and psychology would be needed, and a logical people would understand their importance. But because of their mental disciplines, Vulcans are so good at suppressing their emotions. They don't let themselves be controlled by their emotions.   Does this negate the need for counselling? For a human, to suppress everything you're feeling is not healthy, but Vulcans aren't humans.   Doctor M'Benga has discovered something interesting. While their bodies are still, he is detecting high levels of neural activity in Kirk and McCoy, very unusual for patients in a coma. And they spike at the same time, showing that they're linked. He's well on the way to uncovering what's actually going on here.   Checkov has found that at the time the computer was shut off, the entity was reviewing a particular battle in the American Civil war, as part of its analysis of Earth history. So while they don't have solid evidence, the Enterprise crew have pretty much figured out what is happening to Kirk and McCoy.   One of the soldiers is no longer sure what he's fighting for.  Just to free some slaves? He doesn't know the victims of slavery so it doesn't feel personal to him. Kirk suggests that they're all slaves to something, and this war is about freedom for all.    They're all having doubts. One of them wants to be there for the birth of his grandchild, but instead, he's here taking lives. And he's right to see that as a tragedy. But Kirk explains that what they do here will be remembered. He knows this as a matter of historical fact. They can't understand that, of course. So his words fall flat for them.   I'm really struck, in this scene, just how much Vic looks like William Shatner. It's almost uncanny.   Bones is horrified by the brutality of it all. The wounds, the lack of proper anaesthetic. It all feels barbaric to him. But it's not about technology, it's about the human suffering he's seeing.   Kirk blames himself. If he'd gone to his physical, McCoy wouldn't have been on the bridge. But as I said, in this case, he had a good reason. But I like what Bones says back to him. “The only thing worse than being stuck here with you, is you being here all by yourself.” Now that's friendship.   McCoy raises an uncomfortable reality. It's one thing for him to be saving lives, even lives that history says should be dead, but tomorrow, Kirk has to go onto the battle field and kill people. He can't do that.   Despite that, he's on the front line with the other men. Kirk has formed quite a bond with Billy, the young kid fighting for the first time.    I've got to give it to this episode, the scale is something else. The many actors, the horses, the canons. For a period piece like this to be done on a fan production's budget is very impressive.   Kirk was fighting, but he's badly wounded. I wonder if that's because he held back from doing his best in an attempt not to kill. With the equipment of the day, all Bones can do is amputate Kirk's leg below the knee. That's a pretty big deal. We know that even in the 24th century, Star Trek medicine can't just magically grow back a limb. Nog was given an artificial leg in Deep Space Nine. This is a loss Kirk is going to have to live with for the rest of his life, if this were real, of course, which we know it's not, but Kirk and McCoy don't.   Can you imagine what it would feel like to have your leg cut off with a saw, when all you have for pain relief is a piece of wood to bite down on?   I can't. The thought absolutely horrifies me.   Even if it's not real, the pain Kirk experiences is real. But it's even worse. M'Benga finds that back on the Enterprise, Kirk's real leg is dying. I'm not even going to try to make sense of that. There's no reason that should be a thing, so let's just accept that and move on.   M'Benga has managed to extract one of the pathogen objects. Turns out they're nanites. Not a big surprise. The episode was clearly leaning in that direction.   Spock has an idea. They can help Kirk and McCoy the same way they cleared the Enterprise computer. Shut down their brain functions temporarily to starve the nanites, then lure them away with a trail of new information sources.   M'Benga can do it for a very limited time, but the while feasting on a biological brain, the nanites might not be tempted by an inorganic source. They need something cybernetic. Nurse Chaspel suggest a prosthetic limb. There's a crewmember with a bio-mechanical arm but confidentiality prohibits her from disclosing who it is. But with the captain and doctor's lives at stake, Spock asks her to forgo her principles. The ideal way to handle this would be to approach the crewmember privately and ask if they were willing to help, but what if they said no?   Another thing you wouldn't normally see in a fan production is a practical effect for a soldier missing half his arm. It's just a background detail, but it's another example of this show's professionalism.   Billy is in bad shape. Not physically, the bullet just grazed his head, but emotionally, he's suffering from what was once called shell shock, a form of PTSD. McCoy doesn't blame him.   Turns out, when the shooting started, he turned and ran, crashing into a tree. Now he feels like a coward. Kirk's words touched him last night, but he's questioning it all. He noticed that Kirk didn't shoot anyone.   Kirk can't properly explain his reasons for not firing, but he can say  that his freedom was taken away. Taken by the alien entity. Once again, Kirk tries to inspire Billy. When Spock explains the situation to Lieutenant Drake, he's quick to volunteer his cybernetic arm.    I was confused when M'Benga said that if this fails, he'll lose all three of them. Kirk, McCoy, and Drake. So …. Why would they lose Drake? Are they not just going to remove his arm and use it as a tool? Worst case scenario, he doesn't get his arm back. And he has to wait until a new one can be made for him, maybe on a Starbase.   But apparently, Drake's arm cannot be removed. He's sitting there in a chair between the biobeds holding a device. So….I guess that means there's a risk the nanites could enter Drake's body.    Kirk must have been asleep for some time. When he wakes, Billy isn't in the next bed anymore. Turns out that Kirk's words had a big impact on him. When all hope seemed lost, Billy led the charge, inspiring the other men to fight for freedom. He lost his life in that battle.   I think Kirk is feeling both proud and guilty. It was his words that led that boy to his death. That's got to be a heavy thing to live with.   When someone announces that the president is here, Kirk jumps out of bed onto his crutches, despite his injuries. He doesn't want to miss the chance to see a famous historical figure like Abraham Lincoln. Although, he's already met him once. That was a pretend Lincoln, of course, manufactured by aliens, but then, so is this one. Kirk just doesn't know it yet.   There's a historical photo I've seen of Lincoln talking to some soldiers outside a tent. The staging of this shot looks very similar to that photo, and at the end of the scene, we see someone taking a photo. So I'm assuming this was meant to be the moment in history when that real photo was taken. It's pretty special for Kirk to be there. McCoy points out that while Kirk only has one leg, he still has purpose, and that can allow him to stand just as tall. M'Benga successfully draws the nanites out of Kirk and McCoy, then gives them stimulants. Their skin returns to normal colour. Drake is escortedto the transporter room for some reason. It's still not clear exactly how this whole plan is working. But I think the nanites are not so much in Drake's artificial arm, as they are in the device he was holding.   Except when Drake enters the bridge to see Kirk, he's missing the arm. So …… I'm really confused. None of this was clear to me.   McCoy points out there could be more of the nanites out there. Kirk says God help anyone who encounters them.   This sounds like the episode is suggesting the nanites might be something we've seen before.   The obvious place my mind goes is the Borg. We know they use nanoprobes. The Enterprise wasn't assimilated, and neither were Kirk and McCoy, but their skin did go gray. So maybe these are early Borg nanoprbes. I'm sure they had less sophisticated ways of assimilating before they developed nanotechnology properly. Perhaps in Kirk's time, they've only recently assimilated that technology and have yet to perfect it.   It's all speculation, of course, But that's half the fun of science fiction.   I felt the script was a little lacking in this one, when compared to the previous 4 episodes. Some things weren't explained as well as they could have been. But it was still a good story. And the production with all those extras, costumes, location shooting, was very well done.   This is hardly a bad episode, just not as the good as the ones that have preceded it. But still well worth watching.   Next time, on what will be our 100th episode, we'll be talking about a special episode that gives us some practical creature effects, and a special guest appearance by an Australian actress of Farscape fame.   I'll see you for Come Not Between the Dragons.   Until then, have a great two week Live long and Prosper Make it so.  

While not as memorable as the big tentpole episodes, "The White Iris" is a true classic. This is a very emotional character-driven episode that advances Kirk's arc and adds depth to a number of previous Star Trek episodes. This episode is a great example of what makes Star Trek Continues so special. ----more---- Transcript Welcomed to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd   This is episode 98 of the podcast.  Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “The White Iris”   The description on IMDB reads Captain Kirk finds himself haunted by guilt from his past as the fate of an alien world hangs in the balance.   The teleplay was written by James Kerwin, Chris White, and Vic Mignogna Based on a story by Vic Mignogna and Chris White.   The episode first aired on the 29th of May 2015. This episode was dedicated to the memory of Leonard Niymoy, placing it in time just after he passed away ,which was certainly a significant and sad moment for all Star Trek fans.   Going into this one, I didn't remember the episode. Looking at the thumbnail and description on the Star Trek Continues website didn't ring any bells, but I knew I must have seen it before, because I've watched all of Star Trek Continues.   It gets right into the action from the get go. Some aliens, the Calsins, are expressing their pleasure at the invitation to join the Federation when Kirk is unexpectedly attacked from behind by one of them. He's beamed to sickbay but is suffering fatal damage to the part of the brain responsible for emotional memories.   Spock suggests an experimental drug. It hasn't even been tested yet. They don't know the dosage. Now I have a feeling that in the real world, by administering this drug to a patient, McCoy would be doing something highly unethical and probably illegal. Although Kirk does give his verbal consent.  Still, giving an untested drug that doesn't have approval to a patient has got to be a huge risk.   Kirk sees a vision of Rayna, an android woman Kirk had feelings for in the episode Requiem for Methuselah, one that I don't remember in huge detail either. Spock erased all memory of Rayna from Kirk's mind, to spare him the pain of her death. But now he remembers it all again.   After just a few seconds of receiving the medication, Kirk is himself again. And then he's straight off the bed and back to duty.   I get there's a time-critical situation on the planet, but minutes ago he was near death. Now he looks okay but he's been given a guessed dosage of an experimental drug. Who knows what kinds of side effects he might experience. I think it's kind of insane not to keep him in sickbay for observation for a while. Spock is an accomplished commander and a capable diplomat. And he can always liaise with Kirk from Sickbay. This was a big believability problem to me.   Anyway, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura marvel at how nothing can keep Kirk down.   Kirk has a lot of guilt over Rayna. In his opinion, while she started out as an android, she was human when he pushed her too far and she malfunctioned, unable to deal with the conflicting emotions inside of her.   I'm not sure that human is the right word here, but Kirk clearly saw her as a sapient being.   So Calsis, the planet they're currently orbiting, wants to join the Federation, but their sister world opposes it and will do anything, including assassinating Kirk, to prevent it. Although I do wonder how they think Kirk's murder will accomplish what they want.   The Federation is giving them a defence grid to protect their world, but Kirk is suddenly hesitant. Possibly because he's seeing another vision. Time time, a woman named Nakia. She appears to be a new character created for Star Trek Continues. Interestingly, she is named after the actress that plays her - Nakia Burrise.   Nakia is ghostly translucent. Kirk can't remember the passcode for the defence grid. He created the code himself, with the understanding he would make the final decision whether or not to give the grid to the Calsins. Nobody else knows it. See, this is why you use a password management product like KeePass.   Kirk leaves Spock in charge while he reports to sickbay for further tests.   Spock hopes that Checkov might be able to decrypt Kirk's forgotten password. It wouldn't be a very secure system if that were possible. But Checkov mentions that at the academy, he once decrypted something of Xindi origin. This is very cool as it's a reference to the Xindi who nearly destroyed Earth in Enterprise season 3, a story that took place chronologically long before TOS, but was, of course, produced long after TOS. I do appreciate these touches.   On the way to sickbay, Kirk sees a little girl in the hallways. Who is she?   So the sister planet fires a missile at Calsis. They're not mucking about. The representative is desperate for that defence network now.   Why hasn't Kirk told anyone about his hallucinations? This is an annoying trope in Star Trek. A character is undergoing something super weird but they keep it to themselves. It's pretty annoying. McCoy senses there's something Kirk isn't telling him, but Kirk is a little non-committal as to what that is. There's something wrong with Kirk's heart. It's weakening and McCoy has no medical explanation.     Spock asks Checkov if he's tried a brute force attack to guess the password. Checkov points out the computer on this device is designed to shut down on repeated failed login attempts. Well that's something. Honestly, if a brute force attack could work then Starfleet needs to fire their entire IT department, and Spock is pretty silly for suggesting it.   Kirk finally opens up about Nakia. They served together on the Farragut 13 years ago. They were very close but she died in the line of duty and Kirk blamed himself. He's never spoken of her. He thought he could forget her.   I quite like that they created a new character from Kirk's past to go alongside the older ones we've seen in the show previously. It means we're not just dwelling in nostalgia, as cool as that is, but we're also pushing things forward with new backstory. That's what sets this kind of writing apart from a lot of fan fiction. Technically, of course, this show is fan fiction, but it's of a very high quality.   I'm really curious what a psycho-tricorder detects.  There is a strong link between the biological and the mental, of course, when it comes to health. There are physiological things that affect the mind, the emotions. But a standard medical tricorder should show you all you need to know about the physiological, and how can a device like a tricorder tell you about the non-physiological aspects of mental health? It would have to be a telepathic device. Perhaps it's not so different from a standard medical tricorder, it's just configured to focus on aspects of the brain and body that are specifically related to mental health.   In any case, Kirk's emotions are being affected. He's cranky. He's giving in to emotional outbursts that he'd normally control. He's ignoring very reasonable recommendations from McCoy and Spock, and honestly, being a little paranoid.   The actres playing Edith Keeler is very well cast. She does a fantastic job of replicating Joan Collins' way of speaking.   A replacement console is days away. Sulu emphasises to Uhura to inform Spock as well as Kirk, which already shows how he's starting to lose the confidence of his crew.   Also, interesting to note that Smith is back, this time the prime universe version. So, she's probably been on the Enterprise this whole time since “Where No Man has Gone Before” which I think is cool.   The Enterprise is unable to destroy the incoming missile because it seems to have disappeared. We're never really given an explanation for this. I assume the sister planet has some form of cloaking technology on their weapons.   We get a little more insight into the cultures of these sister planets. The people of Calsis developed a spiritual culture while the others became more materialistic, and disdainful of the Calsis way.   Now this is an example of the planet of hats problem which Star Trek does so often, where an entire planet's population will share a specific personality trait. And this concept has been rightly criticised by many. But on the other hand, I think there's room for a little of it. If we look at the countries of Earth we see there are some commonly shared traits.  For example, the British people are often thought of as stiff while we Australians have a reputation for being laid back.   You could say that Americans are generally quite materialistic as a people, but some European cultures might be focussed more on family.   It's all generalisations and stereotypes which will, of course, break down, but that doesn't mean there can't be some truth to these kinds of perceptions. So I'm willing to let the episode get away with this.   Spock is meeting with McCoy and McKenna to discuss Kirk's state of mind. The physical injury is healed. His problems might be related to the experimental drug but there's no evidence of this. McKenna can't assess his mental state without Kirk's cooperation. This might be one of the big differences between physical and mental health. While patient consent is certainly a big issue in medicine, you don't need much input from the patient to set a broken leg, but you can't help a patient with mental health difficulties unless they're willing to be a big part of it.   And Kirk is certainly not willing. He dismisses McKenna to discuss the issue at hand with his officers.   The next hallucination Kirk sees is Miramanee, Kirk's late wife from the planet Amerind, where Kirk spent some extended time, having lost his memory. That episode had a number of issues, but it also dared to do some darker character stuff you wouldn't typically see in the 60s. For that, and the introduction of the mysterious preservers, I quite like The Paradise Sydrome. It's biggest flaw, of course, is that it has zero consequences. We never hear of Miramanee and her child again. It's as if Kirk is just over it. But that's more of flaw of the series, and 60s television mentality in general, than it is a flaw of this particular episode. Anyway, that's where Star Trek Continues comes in.   The little girl shows up again. I wonder if Kirk is starting to put it together yet?   McCoy is surprised to note that Spock is considering that what Kirk is seeing may be more than just hallucinations. Vulcans believe in the katra. McCoy uses an argument I've often heard. “I thought Vulcans were a people of science,” implying that being a person of science precludes a belief in anything spiritual. Spock counters this by saying “To be a people of science is to acknowledge that sometimes science points to something more. Vulcans are also a people of spirit. The two are not as contradictory as people assume.”   I think it can be argued whether this statement is consistent with Spock's character as established in TOS, but I really liked its inclusion. Star Trek usually comes from such a strictly naturalistic point of view, that it's nice when it does acknowledge the possibility of something more.   Smith reports a drag on the enterprise's flight path. I like the moment when both she and Sulu put it together at the same time and share a knowing look. This drag could be caused by the missile, and this might be their clue to locating it.   Kirk is so distracted by the ghosts of his former lovers that he can't give the order to fire. Spock very wisely gives the order himself. Technically this is a breach of the chain of command, but Kirk is clearly not himself. This was the right call.   When Kirk gives an outburst in front of everyone, addressing his hallucinations, he finally realises how compromised he has become. He should have known it a lot sooner, but that was probably another symptom of his condition. He relieves himself and hands the ship over to Spock. I mean he relieves himself of command, of course, not the other kind of relieving oneself.   The camera pans to Spock and holds there for a few seconds. He has a satisfied look on his face, but it's not because he has ambition. It's not because he wants Kirk's job. It's because his friend has finally seen the light and done what's best for him, and others.   McCoy reminds me, on purpose I'm sure, of Doctor Boyd when he brings Kirk a dose of brandy. But he needs a distraction to scan him.   His heart is working at 15% efficiency. Another arrest is inevitable. When Kirk doesn't respond to McCoy as a doctor, he tries to engage him as McCoy the friend. But Kirk doesn't believe he's not alone. He's reminded of the women he has lost. Duty first.   Kirk asks McCoy if he thinks Kirk loved those women. McCoy answers, “I think you've loved a lot of women, Jim.” Kirk does have a reputation as a ladies man. But that's not what Kirk is asking. Yes, he's had a lot of lovers in the past, but did he actually love them?   Kirk answers yes. He did love them. And he can't let them go. Bones assume Kirk was just a playboy who wanted a string of one night stands. But deep down, Kirk wants more than that. He always has. But command leaves no room for those kinds of indulgences. At least at this point in Star Trek history. By the 24th century we'll see captains marry and have families, raising them on Starships. But this is not that kind of Starfleet. Not yet.   This is where things get really interesting. Spock enters as Kirk is seeing all three women. He mind melds, and he sees them. He asks them what they want. So what does this mean? Does it suggest they are more than just hallucinations?   Can a Vulcan see another's delusions through a mind meld? I'm honestly not sure.   Delusions and hallucinations happen in the brain, in the mind, and it is the minds that are connected. Spock says they need resolution. Closure. Of a type only Kirk can offer. So he's viewing them as something more substantial.   Kirk is heading down to the planet with the console, against McCoy's recommendation. But is this different than before? He's relieved himself of duty, so Spock is currently in command, but maybe Kirk still needs to play a part in all this. If he can get better, maybe he can remember the password.   Except, that's not where he goes. So maybe I misunderstood. When he enters McKenna's quarters, there's a little moment that kind of mirrors one in the first episode, where McKenna walking in on Kirk shirtless. McKenna is hardly naked, but she does seem taken aback and kind of covers her shoulder. I think the show might be suggesting there's some mutual attraction between these two, possibly because the actors were together in real life, but from memory, that doesn't go anywhere.   Kirk doesn't know why he's here. But he's looking for answers.   McKenna thinks this isn't about resolution. It's about guilt. Kirk is the one who needs the resolution. He needs to explain to them why he failed them, which he never had the chance to do before they died.   These hallucinations give Kirk a unique opportunity that few of us ever get.   Enter the pseudo holodeck. I'd forgotten that the show revisited this. He meets the women from his past in the place where he last met them.   And he better hurry because there's 23 new tri-cobalt warheads headed for the planet.   Edith wants to know why Kirk held McCoy back from saving her. Why did he deliberately let her die. She forgives him. She understands. I think it's possible the real Edith Keeler may have understood as well. She dreamed of the world he was saving.   Next he visits the Farragut. Nakia knew the risks when she signed up for Starfleet. She doesn't blame him. She doesn't forgive him because she says there's nothing to forgive. “No more guilt, Jim”.   Back on Amerind, Kirk says his farewell to his wife, Mirramanee. He says that she, and their baby, were gifts he could never repay. And she says something interesting. One does not repay a gift. And that's true. That's what makes it a gift. “The great spirit calls us to forgiveness, of others, and ourselves.” It's a hard moment. Of all the woman Kirk has loved, Miaramanee was the longest and most committed relationship. They were married. They conceived a child together. We always remember Edith Keeler and Carol Marcus. But we forget Miramanee. We shouldn't do that.   Rayna is last, and she doesn't look impressed. This might be the hardest one of all. But then her face softens into a smile. There are no words exchanged. It seems none are necessary. It's a good performance from the actors.   It's done. Kirk has experienced closure with all of them. But he still doesn't remember the password, and Calsis only has 6 minutes.   Spock recommends withdrawal. When you have failed, there is nothing left but to try to survive.   But Kirk has another idea. Put the Enterprise in the path of the missiles with full shields. Spock surprisingly say they might be able to survive that, but they can't block all the missiles. But it's all they've got.   This is the starfleet way. You put your life on the line to protect others.   Kirk is still seeing the little girl. Perhaps that's why his memory hasn't returned He chases her through the ship. She offers him a gift. The same patterned stitching on the native american headbands from Amerind. Realisation dawns on him. This is his unborn daughter. She has no name because he never gave her one. And at this point in the episode, my heart is just shattering.   Kirk apologises to her that she never had a chance. He promises to love and remember her all the days of his life. As a father this is a very emotional moment for me to watch.   I can well believe that Kirk will think of her every day for the rest of his life. Of course, we'll never see that, because this story was written long after the TOS movies that follow it chronologically. But it would be nice to see some sign that he continues to think about her in future episodes of Star Trek Continues.   As she fades away she whispers something in Kirk's ear   Evidently, this final closure allowed Kirk to remember the code. Kirk's log entry makes that sufficiently clear. The episode doesn't need to spend any more time on it.   After seeing the technological might of the Federation, the Eritrans have requested formal peace negotiations. That's a good outcome.   We come to understand later, that Irises, the word that Kirk's daughter whispered in his ear, was the password.   Kirk is now sold on the need for a ship's counsellor. He has approved a dedicated office for McKenna. I guess she had to use her quarters beforehand. You need privacy for her kind of work. It turns out, the password was likely inspired by the painting by Vincent Van Gough. It is said he only painted one of the irises white because he was lonely. Just like Kirk. If that's what he chose for his password it shows just how lonely he really does feel.   The episode closes with McCoy suggesting that the part of Kirk's heart that wouldn't give up belongs to another lady. The obvious meaning to this would be the Enterprise. She has always been Kirk's lady. But I couldn't help but think about Carol Marcus. The other great love of Kirk's life who wasn't mentioned in this episode. Probably because he hasn't met her yet. In fact, another fan series, Star Trek New Voyages, did an episode that told the story of Kirk and Marcus's first meeting. I'm kinda tempted to add that episode into the mix as we're going through Star Trek Continues.   I can't believe I didn't remember this episode, though it started to come back as I watched it. This is a beautiful character piece. It helps to solve one of the big problems of TOS, lack of continuity. This episode provides consequence and continuation to some important emotional beats for Kirk in previous episodes. And much like how Avengers Endgame made some of the weaker Marvel movies more meaningful in retrospect, this episode adds power to those previous Star Trek episodes. So I think this is a triumph. Star Trek Continues actually reminds me a lot of Enterprise season 4. It seems to be trying to do a similar thing.   Next time, we'll be travelling through time with another episode that I don't remember much about. Divided We Stand.   In the meantime, have a great two weeks. Live long and proper Make it so.  

Today's episode of Star Trek Continues, "Fairest of Them All" takes us back to the mirror universe, for a direct sequel to the original Star Trek episode "Mirror Mirror". We get to see what happened next after prime Kirk planted the seeds of change in mirror Spock's mind. It's a fun and meaningful story. Let's dig in and talk about it. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.  I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 97 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Fairest of Them All”   The description on StartrekContinues.com reads In the Mirror Universe, Spock faces a choice that determines the future of the Terran Empire.   The teleplay was written by James Kerwin and Vic Mignogna Based on a story by Vic Mignogna It was directed by James Kerwin And it first aired on 15th of June 2014.   You'll notice as we go along, that many episodes of Star Trek Continues are sequels, either direct, or subtle, to TOS episodes. This is the second one that is a direct sequel, in this case, to Mirror Mirror.   The mirror universe is an interesting thing. When you start to think about it, the idea breaks down quickly. The more the universes diverge, the less likely it would be to see the same people. For example, how astonishingly unlikely, in this universe, that Sarak still married Amanda, a Terran, and brought Spock into the world.   At its core, the mirror universe is silly. I've heard some argue that because of this, mirror universe episode should be campy. I strongly disagree with that. Mirror Mirror, while built on the somewhat silly premise, was serious drama. The only hint of campiness, to me, was mirror Kirk's over-acting, but even that was done for dramatic effect. When DS9 started doing mirror universe episodes, it also took the premise seriously and made gritty drama about it. Sadly, as these episodes went on, they got progressively sillier, the last of them, in season 7, being a Ferengi comedy.   People point to Spock's beard, claiming this is a campy idea, but I think that's mainly just because it's become such a meme. At the time, putting a goatee on Spock served a very practical purpose. Not only did it make him look more menacing, but it very quickly and effectively showed us, visually, that something was different. This wasn't our Spock.   Even the trend of having other mirror universe Vulcans wear the same beard doesn't feel like a campy move to me. We know that vulcans are creatures of tradition. They practically all have the same hairstyle, so it's only reasonable to assume that having a goatee would be a cultural imperative for mirror Vulcans. Look at the real-world culture of the Amish, who all grow a beard after they marry.   So, yeah, my point is, I'm up for treating the mirror universe as fodder for serious drama. And this episode follows its predecessor in just that.   The episode begins with Kirk's closing speech to Spock at the end of Mirror Mirror. It's a great speech. He has some very compelling words for Spock. It was always a favourite part of that episode. And I love how at the end of it, Spock says “I shall consider it.”   And with that note of hopefulness, We follow Kirk and his crew back to the prime universe.   But in this episode, we instead stay in the mirror universe with Spock, to see what he does next.   And I have to say this is a brilliant move. From the moment I first heard Intendant Kira tell the story of how Mirror Spock had dismantled the Terran Empire, turning it into a more reasonable and peace-loving organisation, and then its subsequent conquest by the alliance, I've been enthralled by the idea of seeing that play out.   During early DS9, Leonard Nimoy was still young enough to play this. I imagined a TV movie, set during the TOS movie era, where an older Spock had risen to emperor and was taking the dangerous steps of trying to change the culture. This episode of Star Trek Continues is the closest we'll likely ever get to that. But this tells the very beginning of the story. Spock's first steps into the light.   The return of mirror Kirk is bad news for the Halkans. Our Kirk did everything he could to try to spare them, but now that this universe's Kirk has returned, his first order of business is to destroy their city.   Rather than just destroying one city with the phasers, Kirk decides to use a full spread of photon torpedoes. The radiation of which is likely to make the entire species extinct. Spock argues for leniency and diplomacy. Prime Kirk's words are already having an effect on him. But mirror Kirk isn't interested. He does, however, have his first hint that his prime counterpart has sowed seeds of revolution in Spock's mind.   This episode takes a page out of Enterprise's book and creates specific mirror-universe opening titles, much as “In a Mirror Darkly” did. It was awesome in Enterprise, and it's awesome here.   Note also that this is the first episode that doesn't have Larry Nemechek as McCoy. We have a new actor - Chuck Huber.   I wondered what the reason for the cast change might have been. I found a Facebook post by Star Trek Continues, stating that Nemecek filled in for Chuck Huber in the first two episodes. This suggests that Larry was never intended to be the long-term actor in this role, but maybe Chuck Huber wasn't available for the first two? I don't know.   It's also the first appearance, in Star Trek Continues, of Smith, a character we last saw as a yeoman in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” In that episode, Kirk kept calling her Jones. It seems mirror Kirk is still making that mistake all these years later.   The original series had a pretty male-dominated cast. Continues adds in a few more female characters to be regulars and semi-regulars. We already know it's added McKenna, as a brand new character, but I like how they went back to the well and used this old character. This episode won't be the last we'll see of her.   You'll notice Spock is the clear protagonist of this episode. We get a personal log from Spock, rather than a captain's log from Kirk.   There's a really interesting dynamic going on between these two, even now. Kirk confronts Spock for questioning his orders. Spock again tries to point out the logic of his alternate approach. When Kirk asks Uhura to make his report back to the empire, he makes it very clear that he personally destroyed the Halkens, and he asks Uhura to include Spock's objections. On the surface, this may seem like he's respecting Spock's opinion, but of course this is the opposite. Kirk is letting his superiors know that Spock made a very controversial suggestion. A suggestion that could get him in a lot of trouble. A suggestion that might make them question giving him a command of his own. This is a subtle power play against Spock, and I'm sure Spock is aware of it.   New twist, something planted in the planet by the Halkens means that the torpedo barrage is setting off a chain reaction that could destroy all of that precious dilithium the empire wants to strip mine out of the planet.   All of a sudden, Spock is looking like the more reasonable person, and Kirk's overkill is going to cost them a lot. And that message has already been sent to the Empire. Very interesting.   Kirk does his best to turn things around again, by insisting that Spock should have detected that the dilithium was rigged to explode. But it sounds a little hollow.   Uhura sounds a very valid warning. Kirk's enemies don't stick around very long. Spock already knows about the device in Kirk's quarters, and that's just where Kirk is headed.   If Spock isn't careful, he may disintegrate.   So two Andorian ships arrive, and we know from Discovery that the mirror Andorians were part of a rebellion with the Tellarites and Vulcans, but this was written before discovery. The Andorians say they witnessed the destruction of the Halkens and no longer recognise the authority of the Terran Empire. I think you can make this work. While many Andorians were rebels, years earlier at the time of Discovery, I'm not sure all of them were. Some were probably willing subjects of the empire. I mean, Spock himself is first officer of a Terran ship, and he's Vulcan, who were also part of the rebellion, (which features Spock's own father).   But the more important thing here is that Kirk's prediction is already coming true. Other races are rebelling against the empire. It doesn't line up exactly because it implies there hasn't been any rebellion up until now.   And we hear the computer voice, which in the mirror universe, is Male. Excitingly, the voice is Michael Dorn, who, of course, played Worf. That's a nice touch.   When Kirk orders Spock to attack the Andorian ships, he openly refuses to obey.  Naturally, Kirk assumes Spock is making some kind of play, because that's how things work in the Mirror Universe, but he also recognises that his Prime universe counterpart has had some influence on Spock, and maybe on Moreau as well.   He turns on the tantalus field, and spies Spock speaking of mutiny with Uhura. But when he pushes the button to kill Spock, it fritzes out and dies. It's not working.   I think Kirk suspects Moreau of doing something to the device at first, but stops short of having her taken away by security.   Spock's next target is Scotty. He tries to recruit him, appealing to the peace he witnessed in the prime universe. Scotty saw that peace as weakness, but is he just parroting the party line? His biggest concern is not a fundamental disagreement with Spock, but fear of committing mutiny, which is a very dangerous game in the mirror universe.   I don't think Spock was successful in recruiting Uhura, but she's wishing she wasn't on the ship. If I have one criticism of this episode, it's that, other than Kirk, none of the crew are really mirror-universe enough. I'm not seeing the angry bloodthirsty callousness that I'm expecting, I'm mainly seeing fear. But then, fear would be a natural state for most people living in a world like that.   We actually get our first real glimpse of this with McCoy. He's injecting a security officer with something. He casually remarks “I've never used this much before.” Then grins and says “I wonder what will happen.” I think doctors provide the best opportunity for highlighting the difference between mirror and prime characters. Because Doctors have such strong ethics in our world, and a doctor without ethics is terrifying. This idea is so powerful that the showrunners of Star Trek Discovery's first season said they would never show a mirror universe version of Culber, because it would be so dark it would tarnish the memory of that character. Of course, that didn't stop them showing a version of Georgaeu who would eat the meat of sentient lifeforms.   Now that Kirk knows where Spock is, the only thing keeping him alive is the malfunction in the tantalus field. Checkov is wise to join Spock's side when given the chance. Spock's use of the stun setting on his phaser is a powerful statement that really gets Checkov thinking. “Murder is the way of the empire. The captain's way.” Kirk put Checkov in the front lines as cannon fodder to die. He has much better hope for a future with Spock than with Kirk, even if he doesn't share Spock's values. Of course, I am surprised that a mirror universe phaser would even have a stun setting, but perhaps it could be useful occasionally. After all, you can't torture someone who is dead.,   Spock gives a rousing speech over the comm system. He's getting through to Uhura. You can see it on her face.   Moreau joins Spock in Auxiliary Control. She tells him their best hope is to get to Kirk's quarters. The tantalus field is the key, just as Prime Kirk said it would be.   Kirk is starting to realise the seriousness of his situation. Crew are not reporting for duty. They're starting to switch sides. Smith is willing to serve Kirk, but his anger at her is eroding any goodwill she has for him. He does something really stupid. He relieves her of her commission and tells her to report to the brig. She was one of the few allies he had, and he's just given her to Spock because she's unable to do what would be reasonably accepted to be impossible in her situation.   Kirk realises his mistake when Sulu arrives and reports that Checkov has turned. He tells Smith to resume her post, but the damage is already done. She's not going to respect Kirk anymore. The only thing that's been holding her here is fear, and that fear will continue to erode as Spock gains more and more power.   We get confirmation that Moreau sabotaged the tantalus field. Now she offers it to Spock. When Moreau says “Yes, she is the captain's woman, but not this captain,” I believe she's thinking about prime Kirk. He changed her way of thinking. He gave her a new hope. She's doing this based on his example, and possibly even out of love for him.   But Spock isn't willing to use it. “No revolution can succeed using the same methods that failed in the previous one.” Wise words. There may come a day when Spock has to use this device to protect himself, but he's not going to stoop to Kirk's level. He's not going to become the monster he's trying to defeat. The key is not using the device himself, but ensuring that Kirk can't use it.   Moreau wants to be sent to the prime universe, something Spock can't do. But together maybe they can recreate something of the prime universe here.   Kirk is learning. He's realising that screaming and ranting is not going to get him anywhere. So he's trying a more reasonable approach. At least, an approach that seems reasonable. He tells Spock that he sees the merit in his logic. He's lying, obviously, but he's calmed down enough to be able to try this tactic.   Moreau cautions against this. It's obviously a trap. Scotty knows this. Spock knows this. But if there is any hope for the empire to change, he must give Kirk the opportunity to change as well. So he walks into what is almost certainly a trap. Because he has to give Kirk a chance. It's interesting. I can see his logic. Scotty and Moraeu are right. This is a foolish step that can likely achieve nothing. But this is exactly what Spock has been preaching. Sit down and talk rather than fight. To refuse would be to go against the essence of the message he's preaching. And I think Kirk knows this.   I couldn't help but notice the camera shot panning up from the chessboard to Spock and then seeing Kirk  enter. Very symbolic of the chess game Kirk and Spock are currently engaged in. A game in which they are currently locked in a stalemate.   Kirk brings up the valid point that there are many other ships out there loyal to the empire. Even if Spock wins control of the Enterprise, he'll still have a very difficult fight ahead of him. A fight against the odds.   When Kirk tries to shoot Spock, we learn that Scotty has put an energy dampening forcefield on the entire deck. Spock has given Kirk his chance, but also given him a chance to prove he cannot be trusted.   The dilithium on the planet is overloading. They have to warp away to avoid being destroyed.   Spock is offering the crew an alternative. Kirk shows what he really thinks of them. “They're pawns. They don't need alternatives. Pawns need a king. He sees no intrinsic human value in any of them. And this is why Kirk will lose.   This happens sooner than expected when we realise that Spock had activated the intercom. The entire crew heard Kirk ranting about them. Uhura and Smith already have knives at Sulu's throat. Security arrive in the rec lounge to take Kirk into custody.   Spock demonstrates compassion by giving Kirk and his followers a shuttle, sparing their lives. Part way through this scene I got a little excited when I realised they'd built a shuttle for this show. You see, I get so caught up in this that sometimes I just think I'm watching TOS. And then I realise, oh yeah, this is a fan show. Fans had to build that life-size shuttle. I'm sure the hanger deck itself is CG, but it looks as it should.   Apparently there were some Halken survivors. I'm surprised by that. I thought Kirk slaughtered them all.   I think the Halkens would be glad to know, survivors or not, that their sacrifice had helped to secure the end of the empire, and the beginning of peace. At least, until the Klingons and Cardassians form the Alliance, but that's a whole other story.   So Spock orders a speed of warp 2 with no heading, prompting Checkov to ask for the heading. Spock replies “forward.” This reminded me of Kirk's “first star to the right” quote from Peter Pan at the end of Star Trek 6. And I get it. It's poetic. That's nice and all. But…..what exactly is Checkov supposed to do with that? Spock is there waiting for the ship to move. Checkov pushes some buttons. Is he just making up his own course? Maybe plotting for the nearest Maccas fly-through? These moments kind of bother me.   So, the Enterprise flies off into the sunset, having taken the very first step into a better future.   I really enjoyed this one. It was a great script, exploring how Spock took Kirk's advice and made changes in the mirror universe.   It's the kind of episode I'm not sure they could have done in “real” Star Trek. It doesn't actually move the story forward in our world at all. But it's a perfect story for a fan series to explore. Not so much a ‘what-if' story, but certainly a side quest, but a very meaningful one.   Next time, we'll be talking about an episode that I don't really remember - The White Iris. Looking forward to it.   Don't forget to check out my original science fiction at AdamDavidCollings.com/books   In the meantime, have a great two weeks, live long and prosper Make it so.  

Lolani is the first of the really focussed "issue" episodes of Star Trek Continues. It examines the theme of slavery, but even moreso, the theme of apathy in the face of evils such as slavery. It's a hard-hitting drama that really makes you stop and think. Join me as I delve into this latest episode of Star Trek Continues to see what it's all about. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.  I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 96 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Lolani”   The description on StartrekContinues.com reads A survivor from a distressed Tellarite vessel pulls Captain Kirk and his crew into a moral quandary over her sovereignty.   The teleplay was written by Paul Bianchi With story by Huston Huddleston and Vic Mignogna It was directed by Chris White And it first aired on the 8th of January 2014   And you'll notice that's a good 7 months since the last episode came out. That's the reality of a fan-made web series. This is a show of professional quality, but it's being made by amateurs. It's not their full-time job. They get the work done in the time span that they can. But it meant that each new episode was an event, like a new mini movie coming out. Of course, now, you can binge the entire series, which is great.   First of all, I'd like to say how happy it made me to see this show portraying Kirk as a bookworm. Which of course, he is. I found that the Kelvin universe movies kind of misunderstood Kirk's character, especially his younger self. They portrayed him as this hard-partying bad boy. And I know it was already a new timeline, and the absence of his father explains the differences, but that's not the Kirk we knew in the original series. Young Kirk in the prime timeline was a nerd. He had a reputation at the academy for carrying books wherever he went.   Anyway, Cool to see him so disappointed to have to leave his book behind when the Enterprise picks up a distress call from an unidentified ship.   And cool to see Sulu's viewer rising out of his console. Nice touch.   The ship is Tellarite in design. And this is where we meet Ensign Tongaroa. My first thought when I heard him speak was “Ugh. American's can't do Australian accents.” But I was very quickly corrected when the character says he's from New Zealand.   But he didn't really sound Kiwi to my ears either. Admittedly, I'm not from New Zealand, but we do hear the Kiwi accent, and it has a lot of similarities with the Australian accent. Some definite differences too. Certain vowel sounds come out very differently.   Anyway, I looked up the actor, Daniel Ogan. Turns out, he is indeed from New Zealand. And not only that, as a child, he played Boba Fett in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack the Clones. Which is really cool. Interestingly, in Star Wars, he sounded much more like what I would think of as a Kiwi accent. So I don't know if his accent has changed over time as he's gotten older, or if I'm just talking rubbish and don't have a good ear for these things.   Anyway, it's really cool to have him in the show, and it's always fun to see a fellow Australasian in Star Trek. (and if you're not aware, Australasian is a blanket term that includes both Australia and New Zealand).   There's only one life form aboard, life signs are erratic and life support on the ship is failing. Despite this, Spock is not convinced it would be a good idea to beam the survivor on board. He doesn't really give a reason, other than this being an unknown lifeform.   So what's the alternative, Spock? Just let the person die?   Kirk orders security to the transporter room, which is a reasonable precaution. As Kirk and Spock enter the transporter room, they both say, in unison, “Mr. Scott, you have the bridge.” Kirk remarks at this being strange. And I agree. No explanation is given. Kirk is in command of the bridge at present, so why would Spock get involved?    They're expecting a Tellarite, but instead, they find a scantily dressed Orion woman, an Orion slave girl, threatening the transporter chief with a knife. But she quickly runs into the corridor and ends up cowering near a Jefferies tube, holding the knife. She looks genuinely afraid. And we meet Chief of Security Drake. We never got to know who the chief of security was in TOS. That position didn't really exist in Star Trek lore until TNG. Anyway, the situation is resolved when Spock is able to incapacitate her with a nerve pinch.   She seems a little calmer when they visit her in sickbay later. According to records, she was recently purchased by a Tellarite. She's got some cuts and bruises, and the Tellarite crew are all dead. The obvious conclusion is that she killed them, no doubt due to the way they were treating her.   Obviously, this episode is going to really delve into the issue of slavery. This is the first of the issue episodes on Star Trek Continues. Last episode had some thematic stuff, but this one is very much exploring an issue. We'll see there'll be a lot of these in the series, which is a very Star Trek thing.   The Tellarites were founding members of the Federation. That means we have Federation citizens engaged in the purchase and exploitation of a slave. And that's pretty horrifying. But as we'll see in coming episodes of Star Trek Continues, the Tellarites are a rather problematic member race. Which I think is really interesting. We tend to think of the Federation as this big club where everyone has the same values. But the reality of holding together so many disparate species would be somewhat less utopian. There would be internal struggles. It would be a constant effort to keep this thing together. I don't think that goes against Roddenberry's utopian vision, but it's a much more DS9 kind of take on it. I like it.   There is an elephant in the room when looking at the idea of Orion Slave girls. And that is Enterprise. Enterprise season 4 did an interesting episode that explored Orion Culture more so than had ever been done before. They were practically an untouched species, which is interesting, given that date all the way back to TOS. The big revelation of that episode was that it was the men, not the women, who were really the slaves, due to the women having a pheromone they can use to control the men.   Now I interpreted this a little less literally than it seems the writers of this episode did. The way I saw it was that, yes, technically the women are bought and sold as slaves, but with their powers, they manipulate and control the men, behind the scenes, from a position that appeared subservient. And that idea, I think, is not at odds with anything else portrayed in Star Trek about them.   This episode addresses the issue with Spock explaining that around 70 years ago, Orion women held dominion over men but there was a revolt and civil war. The men gained control. Rather than ending the slave trade, they made it worse.   This dialog is clearly meant to be a way of reconciling this episode, and the rest of Star Trek, with Enterprise. But I'm not convinced it actually works. It implied that the women enslaved the men in a more literal way than I think the Enterprise episode intended to suggest. And I'm not sure any reconciling really needed to be done.   But either way, it's a fascinating concept. Think about it. A civil war between the two sexes. Procreation of the species would be very difficult under such circumstances. And in fact, the only way that the species could have survived takes my mind to a place that I don't really want to think about.   At this point in time, Women are kept uneducated and subservient to keep them from rising up again, and as punishment for the past.   The age-old problem of trying to make a right with two wrongs.   The slave doesn't speak until Dr. Makenna arrives. She reveals her name is Lolani. She didn't know whether the crew of the Enterprise were friend or foe, so she kept silent, and listened. Not a bad way to go. Listening less and speaking more is usually wise.   To add extra tragedy, she was born off-world, but forced back to Orion and into slavery when her parents died. So she has known freedom and then been forced into slavery. I can only speculate, but I suspect that may be even more painful because you'll know what you're missing.   Lolani is played by Fiona Vroom. Fun bit of trivia, Fiona Vroom appeared in Star Trek Beyond as an Orion crew member. So ….. Was that the Kelvin timeline version of Lolani? My headcanon would like to say it is. Beyond came out 2 years after this episode, so I can't help but wonder if her cameo was a deliberate reference to this episode. I believe JJ Abrams was interested and enthusiastic about Star Trek fan productions, and even spoke in defence of the controversial Star Trek Axanar during their lawsuit with Paramount. Who can say, but in my headcanon, in the Kelvin timeline, Lolani had a better life and entered Starfleet. I guess her parents didn't die in that timeline.   Kirk feels like he has rescued Lolani, but Commodore Gray has some bad news for him. According to Orion law, Lolani reverts to being the property of the one who sold her, once her owner dies. The Orions are not members of the Federation (they'd never qualify while they support Slavery). The owner has been notified and is already on his way.   This kind of thing is a very real problem in our world. Different nations have different rules. If we want them to respect our laws, we have to likewise respect theirs. Even if we disagree with them. But what if one of their laws is something as immoral as slavery?   What it comes down to, as the commodore admits, they can't afford an inter-stellar incident over one person.   Mackenna and Lolani talk as they walk through the corridor. There's a lot of echo in the dialog in this scene. A rare moment when the ameteur nature of this show peeks out from behind the curtain, perhaps. There was also something about the acting at the start of this scene that didn't quite work for me somehow. Mackenna explains that while there are some generalised differences between males and females, people in the Federation are treated as individuals. They are not defined by their gender. There are a whole bunch of different things that make up a person.   We get a very 60s TV moment when they arrived on the bridge all the male crewmembers stare with googly eyes. Now, the sight of an attractive woman wearing very little clothing IS distracting. I can't deny that. That's just biology. But when you're at work, you don't ogle people like this. I'd have expected the crew of a Federation starship to show a little more professionalism than that.   I don't think Scotty is flirting with her when he takes her to see his station. I think he's being friendly, but also he sensed that Mackenna needed a moment to speak with Kirk privately.   Spock has found physical evidence that Lolani was involved in the death of the Tellarite, and likely is the killer.   Kirk is subtly encouraging Lolani to think about changes that could be made to her planet's culture, for the better, by lending her a book.   When confronted with the evidence, Lolani tells an implausible story about how it all just happened while she was hiding with her eyes closed. When Kirk doesn't buy it, she asks “if you were a slave, wouldn't you just want to be free?” And Kirk agrees. He hates the idea of a sentient being enslaved, but he says something that I think is very important. “The truth always matters.”   When she learns her previous owner is on his way to collect her, Lolani tries to use her sexuality to manipulate Kirk. And given the circumstances, the bleak future that lies ahead of her, it's hard to blame her. She'll do anything to escape that brutal mistreatment she knows is waiting for her.   Kirk tries not to succumb, because he's not an idiot. He knows what is appropriate and what isn't. He knows getting involved with Lolani in that way is a bad idea. But remember female Orions have those pheromones with which they can influence people.   It's Uhura's call on the intercom that helps Kirk snap himself out of it. There's a nice moment where they both apologise. Kirk promises to do whatever he can to help Lolani.   But she can't just leave it at that. Again, I don't blame her for doing anything she can to escape her fate. And she continues to use the one tool she feels she has. The transporter chief has less moral strength than Kirk. He's trying to fly her away in a shuttle craft.   With evidence that proves two of the Tellarites were killed by Lolani, Spock says “she is no longer an unfortunate slave. She may be a murderer.”   Of course, it's likely that she is both.   Notice that Spock says she MAY be a murderer. They know she killed two of those tellarites. But there may have been extenuating circumstances. She may have killed them out of self-defense, which is technically not murder.   With Lolani confined to quarters, Kirk asks McCoy if there is a medical defence against Orion pheromones. McCoy says there is a known inoculation and he can begin immediately. If the issue is so well known that they already have an inoculation on file and ready to go, I have to wonder why it's taken this long before anyone has thought about it.   In fact, I wonder why it isn't included in the standard set of vaccinations for Starfleet personnel. In the real world, military officers are inoculated against all sorts of things as a matter of course. You can't afford your soldiers getting sick from preventable diseases when they're busy in the line of duty. I imagine Starfleet would be the same. We know there are a lot of dangerous alien diseases out there. It would be quite logical to inoculate starfleet officers against Orion pheromones as a matter of course. The risk of one of your people being mind-controlled seems a reasonable reason to do so.   It's possible Lolani may have blocked out much of what happened on the Tellarite ship, and genuinely doesn't remember. So Spock is going to mind meld with her. The fact she's willing to trust him and consents to the procedure suggests she's not deliberately hiding anything.   She killed the tellarites in self-defense, while they were trying to rape her.   Kirk and Spock are in a difficult position. They know Lolani is right. It's wrong to send her back to be beaten, and worse. She could be a voice in the Federation for her people, but not if they send her back in chains.   In the conference room, MacKenna plead's Lolani's case to the senior crew. She makes a good point. “Starfleet aren't here. Perhaps if they were, they'd see things differently.” In a lot of ways, this ties into a classic Star Trek theme. The needs of the many vs the needs of the few - or the one. Starfleet is willing to turn a blind eye to one woman's slavery because to do otherwise would risk an inter-stellar incident - perhaps war.   When the owner, Zaminhon, arrives, Kirk's plan is dinner. Pull out all the stops for him. All Kirk can hope is that they can somehow change this man's mind.   He's a very intimidating-looking bloke. The actor has an amazing deep voice. I don't know if there's some artificial enhancement going on, or if it's all natural. But it really suits the big Orion.   I laughed at Scotty's line. “He seems nice. For a slave trader.”   The transporter chief, Kenway, fabricates a story about orders to get into Lolani's quarters to see her. He still seems very smitten. Despite his inoculation, he seems to still be suffering effects from his previous exposure to her pheromones.   That said, he seems to genuinely want to help her, not because she's attractive, but because it's right. Lolani has some good things to say. Kenway feels that he's nobody. That he can't make a difference. Lolani says that everybody is somebody. That's the message that needs to reach people on her planet. And she mentions a quote that is apparently falsely attributed to a guy named Edmund Burke. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” And that is what's happening here.   In the end, Kenway just says sorry and leaves. What can he do? It must be very difficult for the crew to laugh and chat with this slave driver. Especially McKenna. Zaminhon confirms that the male Orions do have a natural scent, but it's been kept from developing the same potency as the female pheromones.   Whatever Kirk's plan, in trying to charm Zaminhon is shattered when Scotty casually says “Lolani says you're a brutal monster.”   Zaminhon just laughs it off and says he treats his slaves well. Kirk's plan starts to come out as he plays along, pretending to be as comfortable with slavery, even offering McKenna to him for a price. Zaminhon surprisingly sees and even defends McKenna's value as a person. She is civilised and capable. Slavery is not for her. An interesting admission from him. Then Kirk drives in the knife. What about Lolani? She is every bit as capable. She has a thirst for knowledge. But even without that, as a woman, she has a fundamental right to be free.   Of course it doesn't work. As Zaminhon points out, “We're not going to change each other's minds over a fine dinner.” Which is quite true.   Still, Kirk had to try. That's who he is. That's the Starfleet way. You talk. You reason.   With the crew out of ideas, it's Spock who has to verbalise it. “Then it might be time to say goodbye.”   The guard at Lolani's door is terrible at his job. You don't just abandon your post to check with the captain because a visiting alien tells you he'll take it from here. He has orders, and until they are countermanded from up in the chain of command, those orders stand. By walking away he leaves the door unguarded so Zaminhon can enter Lolani's quarters.   Zaminhon doesn't even wait to get off the Enterprise before starting the physical abuse. Honestly, I don't think he cares. Starfleet have to abide by Orion law in this case and he knows it.   Of course, that doesn't stop Kirk from intervening when he enters to tell Lolani the bad news.   The re-used TOS music fits so well into the scene. It's a lot more than just a copy-and-paste job.   Kirk has one last-ditch idea. And it's something of an ethical dilemma. He offers to buy Lolani from Zaminhon. It's a trope you often see in fiction. The hero buys the slave for the sole purpose of setting her free.   On the one hand, it's a good thing as it's an effective way of freeing a slave. On the other hand, it means taking part in the morally reprehensible practice. It is morally justified to engage in slave trade in order to free a slave? Probably.   Zaminhon is not impressed. He refuses to sell, out of spite, for Kirk's hypocrisy. There is no price he'd accept to sell Lolani to him. He won't let Kirk win this one.   Commodore Gray is not impressed. She likens his intervening when Zaminhon hit Lolani to striking a foreign politician. She reiterates the Federation's position. They will noit risk war over one slave. And I do understand their point. How many will die, be tortured and abused if this leads to war? I'm not saying they're right, but I certainly understand their position. Gray says it's the job of the diplomats to fight this issue of slavery. Kirk is ordered to return Zaminhon to his ship with Lolani. I can't see that these diplomats are going to be very effective in their efforts, unfortunately. Orions have practised slavery since they discovered fire. And they're now an interstellar civilisation. Zaminhon leads Lolani to the transporter pad, back in her skimpy slave outfit and chains.   Kenway is on duty so he has to be the one to push the button. He doesn't take it well.  The look on the actor's face sells it beautifully. This is where Kirk realises Kenway's feelings, whatever they are, are real. Not something you can inoculate against. He knows this because he's feeling it too. Not a sexual attraction, but a desire for justice. It's going around and around in his head. He was determined to help Lolani. And he failed.   That's when he announces to the crew that he is about to commit a direct violation of his orders. He'll take full responsibility. This is a very Kirk action. Even Picard has been known to do something like this.   As the Enterprise closes on Zaminhon's ship, ready to beam Lolani aboard, the ship explodes. Everyone is devastated. Evidently, Lolani sabotaged the ship, preferring to due than to live as a slave. If Kirk had been just a few minutes sooner he could have saved her.   But then, what would have happened to Kirk? I suspect it would have ended his career. This isn't Admiral Kirk of the movie era, who can get away with anything. This is young Captain Kirk, still in his first 5 year mission.   Lolani left a video message for Kirk. She believes her death will mean nothing, but Zaminhon's death may light a fire in the hearts of the people on her world - young girls desperate to be free, and maybe some men, who don't want to be a part of enslaving them.   Kenway asks Kirk for a leave of absence from Starfleet. He has been deeply touched by Lolani's words. Her message. He wants to take up her cause. Kirk gives him Lolani's recording. Will he make a difference? I don't know. But a good man is about to stop doing nothing.   This was actually a really powerful message show, perhaps one of the best that Star Trek has ever done, which is saying a lot for a fan-made production.   I really like this ending. It's not a happy ending, but it's a fitting one. And it gives hope. Even meaning to Lolani's life and death.   I think when you get down to it, the real message of this story is about apathy. I mean, you'd be hard-pressed to find a human being in this world today that believes slavery is a good and acceptable thing. But how does that belief affect our actions?   Slavery does still exist in some form in our world today. Not like it used to be, not like the Orions suffer, but it does exist. I don't know enough about it. I find myself feeling challenged to learn more. To see what might be able to be done.   How about you?   I hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on Lolani. Next time we'll be looking at another amazing episode. A direct sequel to the original series episode Mirror Mirror.   Until then, have a great 2 weeks Live long and prosper. Make it so.    

Star Trek Continues is a fan-made Star Trek series of professional quality. We begin a new series talking about this incredible show with the pilot episode "Pilgrim of Eternity" Star Trek Continues does exactly what the name suggests, it continues TOS giving us a mythical 4th season, filling in the gap between Star Trek and Star Trek The Motion Picture. In "Pilgrim of Eternity" Michael Forest returns in the role of Apollo, the god-like alien that first appeared in the TOS episode "Who Mourns for Adonais".   Watch the episode I'm discussing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G-ziTBAkbQ&t=423s ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven.  I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 95 of the podcast. Today, we begin a new series, looking at the first episode of Star Trek Continues. “Pilgrim of Eternity.”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction, head over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on StartrekContinues.com reads Apollo returns to wreak havoc on Kirk and the Enterprise in the first episode of the new series.   The teleplay was written by Steve Frett and Jack Travino With story by Vic Mignogna and Jack Marshall   It was directed by Vic Mignogna And it first aired on the 26th of May 2013.   So with so much new Star Trek, with so much other classic sci-fi on TV, why cover a fan-made series?   The first answer to that is that right now, every bloke and his dog is talking about Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds. I've found it very difficult to stand out amongst so many podcasters and youTubers who are so much better than I am? I can't break into that.  But there aren't so many who have done an in-depth series of podcasts on Star Trek continues, in the way that I do. It's a beloved show, but I feel like there's more room to place myself in that niche.   The second, and more important answer, is that I love the show and want to watch it again and share my thoughts.   If you haven't seen Star Trek Continues before, you can watch all 11 episodes for free. They're all on youTube, and you can also download them to play locally from StarTrekContinues.com   There are a number of fan-made Star Trek shows. They all seemed to emerge after the cancellation of Enterprise. After 18 years of non-stop new Star Trek on TV, we were suddenly in this void where there wasn't any Star Trek. It was weird.   So the fans stepped up and made their own Star Trek. It was a time of great creativity and expression. So many people worked hard to share their love of the franchise. And keep it alive.   There was a lot of good stuff, but I think Star Trek Continues stands out as one of the best, if not the best. It's won a ton of awards, and has been praised by Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. He considers the show canon and says his father would probably agree.   It all got started when Vic Mignogna directed an episode of Star Trek Farragut. He went into partnership and took part ownership of their sets, and set up some studio space where it could all live. Then he went about making his own show, assembling some very talented people around him.   So let's talk about this first episode, which of course, is a sequel to the original series episode Who Mourns for Adonais. Quite a few of Star Trek Continues stories were follow-ups to TOS episodes.   We begin in an unexpected place. A cowboy is holding Kirk at gunpoint. An old-fashioned revolver. He threatens to shoot Kirk. And for a brief moment, I'm wondering, am I watching the right episode? Star Trek has certainly done wild west planets before. But this is the one with Apollo, right?   It's a common story-telling technique to start right in the middle of a tense moment like this. They call it in media res. And it's effective. Things are cleared up quickly when we hear Scotty's voice say “Freeze program.” Turns out, this is a holodeck. A very early experimental prototype of a holodeck.   But wasn't the holodeck first invented just before Encounter at Farpoint, you may ask? Certainly the crew of the Enterprise seemed amazed by its newness.   Well, I think this works.  Voyager made it clear that as a child, Janeway played the holoprogram, Flotter. That was clearly before Farpoint. And Star Trek The Animated Series featured something very much like a holodeck. Most people dismissed the animated series as not canon back in the old days. I've even heard somewhere that Gene Roddenberry did not consider it canon. But people seem to be much more accepting of it these days. And it has been referenced multiple times in TNG, Picard, Lower Decks, maybe Discovery too. On top of all that, this is not a proven technology. It's certainly not something that is in everyone's homes. So I think we can accept that holographic entertainment has been around for some time, but in more primitive forms. The holodeck on the Enterprise D took things to a whole new level, and was soon enhanced even more by the Bynars.   In any case, I think it's pretty cool to think that Scotty may have been one of the early minds responsible for what would eventually become the holodeck. It's also nice to see Kirk enjoying some play time off duty.   The over-working hero is a bit of a tired trope at this point. And it's certainly not a healthy thing to emulate in real life.   The Enterprise is investigating a series of space-based power stations that have been drained of power and gone offline. Kirk heads to the bridge.   The casting of this show was phenomenal. The first two characters we see are Kirk played by series creator Vic Mignogna and Scotty played by Chris Doohan, the son of James Doohan, who played Scotty in the original series.   Having Chris Doohan resume his father's role is a big asset to this show. And it's not just about name recognition. He does a great job of it, and that voice is eerily familiar.   Vic also does a fantastic job of Kirk. Of all the actors, other than Shatner, who have played Kirk, I think Vic is the one that convinces me the most, that he's the same guy. I'm very curious to see how Paul Wesley goes playing the role in season 2 of Strange New Worlds.   While many fan productions used a lot of ameteur actors, Star Trek Continues fills its sets with professional, or at least, experienced, actors. And it shows. That's no slight against any of the other fan-produced shows. But this one has some very good performers.   So we pick up with Kirk as he enters the bridge. And you have to admire this set. You'd swear you were back on the set of the original series. It looks phenomenal.   Spock is in the captain's chair, played by Todd Haberkorn. Now I have to admit, I have a bit of a harder time accepting this guy as Spock. And it's nothing to do with the actor's performance. He does a great job. He does everything right. But Spock is a particularly hard character to pull off, just because Leonard Nimoy had such a unique presence to him. The look.The voice. Nobody else can truly be Spock in the way that Nimoy did. Todd Haberkorn, Zachery Quinto and Ethan Peck have all done remarkable jobs at it, but none of them have managed to make me fully believe they are truly the same person as was portrayed by Nimoy. But at some point, you just have to suspect your disbelief and accept this is the same person.   While the characters speculate on what has happened to the power station, a strange object appears. Like a big spikey rock surrounded by green glowing energy. Is it a ship? A probe?   While on the bridge, we see Sulu, portrayed by Grant Imahara, of Mythbusters fame, who has sadly passed away since the conclusion of this show, Checkov, portrayed by Wyatt Lenhard, and Uhura, portrayed by Kim Stinger. They all do a good job of portraying these characters in a realistic way, based on roles' previous occupants.   And then McCoy walks in, portrayed by Larry Nemecek. He'll be replaced later by another actor. But Larry Nemecek is a big name in Star Trek fandom. He's written a lot of Star Trek reference books. He's appeared in a number of fan productions, and a small role in the final episode of Enterprise. And he was a creative consultant on Star Trek Continues through it's run. McCoy is another character that's really hard to recast. I think the only actor who's ever come close to truly convincing me is Karl Urban. Again, nothing against Larry's performance here, but DeForest Kelly had such a presence, with his face and his voice. It's hard to replicate.   The object starts draining the Enterprise's power. Kirk has no choice but to destroy it with a photon torpedo. There are two lifeforms in the centre of thing. Kirk doesn't want o kill them, but in the end, it's a case of self-preservation.  The torpedo has done the job, but sadly,there are no lifeforms. McCoy expresses what we're all feeling in this moment. He knows it had to be done, but it's hard to see the taking of any life, even if it's to save our own.   That's when a appears in a flash of bright light. Apollo, with a woman in his arms. And he's a lot older than when we saw him last, but played by Michael Forest, the same actor that played the role all the way back in the 60s.   And that's when we cut to credits. The opening credits for Star Trek Continues are very reminiscent of the TOS credits. But featuring some much more impressive visuals of space phenomenon, thanks to around 50 years of advancement in visual effects technology.   And this is probably a good time to talk about music. One of the big things that strikes you immediately with this show, other than the sets and costuming, is the music. How faithful to the original series it sounds. That really over the top bombastic kind of music that had in the 60s. It sounds very Star Trek. And a lot of it is. They used a lot of original music recorded for TOS in this show. But they did some very clever editing. To make the music effectively fit the scenes, Vic would chop it up, move bits around, extend or contract it. And even compose and play his own original music to edit in seamlessly. All in all giving a very authentic TOS sound to the show, but still unique and custom made for Star Trek Continues. The music feels like it belongs. It's really clever what they did.   In some later episodes, they move up to a whole other level in terms of music, but we'll get to that.   So it turns out, the old woman with Apollo is Athena. Another of the Greek gods. We didn't see her on Pollux, back in the original story, but I guess he'd re-connected with her since then.   She's dying. It's a very heartfelt scene as they bid a final farewell to each other.   She vanishes, leaving nothing behind but a brooch, which Uhurua picks up. Even Apollo doesn't know where she's gone. She's just … gone.   McCoy and Scotty's reactions to Apollo are quite telling. The ever compassionate doctor, McCoy wants to get him to sickbay, not that he knows what he can do for an ageing Greek god.   Scotty is hesitant about Kirk allowing this creature on the ship. Scotty's met him before. Scotty has seen what Apollo was capable of. McCoy was there too, but Scotty was very close to the young woman that Apollo had under his thumb.   A quick external shot shows that something has gotten itself onto the hull of the Enterprise. Something from that artefact they destroyed, which presumably, is where Apollo and Athena came from.   That stuff is gonna cause a lot of problems. They're not going anywhere until it's removed. Sulu thinks they can go out and dissolve it with hand phasers.   Kirk feels somewhat responsible for whatever has happened to Apollo. It was Kirk who rendered him powerless two years ago. He and Spock can't speculate on how he has aged so much in this short amount of time.   And this is when we hear the computer voice for the first time, played by none other than Marina Sirtis of Deanna Troi fame. She doesn't try to mimic MAjel Barett's voice, which I think would have been a mistake. Her voice is a welcome familiar one to any Star Trek fan and I think it works nicely for the computer voice. It's also fitting given that Sirtis played Barett's on-screen daughter on The Next Generation.   They'll continue to make improvements and tweaks to the digital model of the Enterprise, but it already looks really good. Very recognisable as the ship from the original series.   The sickbay set looks good. Just as you'd expect it. All the sets on this show are absolutely spot on.   In addition to recasting all the old favourites, Star Trek continues introduced a number of new characters. We meet one in this scene. Doctor Ellse McKennah, the newly assigned ship's counsellor, played by Michele Specht, who was in a relationship with Vic at the time, but they are no longer together.   I really like McKennah. The character is a fantastic addition to the TOS cast, and she's played wonderfully by Specht.   The thing about bringing in a new character like this is that the show can give her a complete character arc, from beginning to end. And she definitely has that.   Back in the days of the original series, an episode like this might very well introduce a character like McKennah. She's be a part of the plot of that episode, but you'd likely never see her again after that. It was the nature of episodic TV back in the 60s. But Star Trek continues does the exact opposite, making her a regular and giving her arguably more character development than any of the characters had in TOS.   McCoy has found something interesting. The extra organ he had, which humans don't, it's barely detectable. That could explain a lot.   Apollo gives us a little exposition. His people created a place called The Realm which would give them the energy to live out their retirement for eternity. An alternative to the energy they previous received from being worshipped. But it didn't work. Instead of giving them energy, it sapped them of it. Their sanctuary became a prison.   It seems that's where he disappeared off to when he left Pollux IV. Perhaps the artefact was the physical manifestation of the realm in our universe. When they sensed the Enterprise approaching, Athena sacrificed the last of her energy to help them both escape the realm. That's why she died on arrival.   So this explains the power station and the rapid ageing.   Kirk is concerted that Apollo will once again desire their worship, to keep himself alive. But that is something they cannot give. But he no longer seeks it.  He just wants them to take him to a planet where he can live among the locals, as one of them, and die with the sun on his face.   But Kirk sees a big risk in this. He may trick the local population into worshipping him, like he did in ancient Greece. This is something Kirk isn't willing to risk. Even though Apollo swears he will won't do it, Kirk says no to his request.   Of course, if he were to seek worship, it would only be to keep himself from dying. But then, that's no different to what he did in the past. It's an interesting situation.   Kirk wants McCoy to make sure Apollo is as powerless as he claims. He has little time for welcoming McKennah aboard, and wants her to help McCoy.   Next we see Sulu and Simone phasering the stuff off the hull, live action performance integrated with an exterior view of the ship. While more modern shows like Enterprise had previous done similar shots, this is a first for TOS. We never would have seen anything like this back in the day.  Shooting in front of a blue screen was quite doable, but the shooting model of the Enterprise just wasn't detailed enough to provide a backdrop.   The interesting thing here is that Simone is played by Jamie Bamber, who was Lee Adama on Ronald D Moore's rebooted Battlestar Galactica, which I love. The amusing thing is that Lee's callsign was, of course, Apollo. So that's quite fitting.   The original series EVA suits look totally authentic. Just as ridiculous as they looked in TOS, but very faithful, which is a good thing. But it's a shame that for all of his brief appearance, Bamber is behind the grate of that helmet, so you can barely tell it's him. Something goes screwy with the phasers and YY is plunged out into space. Sulu's report to the Enterprise is not very effective. He says “emergency” and then lets it hang for several seconds. No explanation of what the emergency is. No indication of what he needs from then. Finally after what feels like an eternity, he requests an emergency beam out.” This kind of thing has been common in Star Trek for a long time. It used to drive me crazy in TNG. The crew were so slow to react to things it was painful. They should all have died well before the show ended.   Anyway, this is our first look at Star Trek Continues' transporter effect. It looks pretty authentic to what we saw in TOS.   McKennah goes to talk with Apollo. If anyone could use some counselling, it's somebody with a terminal condition. She mentions that Lieutenant Carolyn Palomys. The only mortal woman to ever spurn his love. Sadly, she's no longer alive. After her experience with Apollo she left the Enterprise. She died helping colonists affected by a plague. So that's a nice nod to her character. A noble sacrificial wasa a fitting way for her to go out. Apollo explains that they never sought out another planet where they might find worshippers, because they were so heartbroken when humanity, who they loved deeply, rejected them. And this adds a lot more texture and depth to the relationship. Far from just being evil overlords, they had deep feelings. A real connection to the humans that worshipped them. And they felt a great sense of loss and grief when that relationship ended.   The problem that Sulu and Simone experienced seems to be related to the power drain. Scotty is quick to blame Apollo. I can understand why, given his past experience, but he's being a little blinded by his emotions. His prejudice against Apollo. A likely cause is probably the very stuff they were cleaning off the hull. It was part of the realm artefact.   The next set we see is the briefing lounge. I'd tell you good it looks, how accurate to the original, but you're probably getting bored of me saying that.   A lot of the conflict in this episode comes from Scotty blaming Apollo for everything that's going on, and the others disagreeing. Even McCoy agrees with Spock, which evokes a few comical raised eyebrows.   I have to say, I think Scotty is being led a little too much by emotion and assumption right now. If he'd stop and think things through a bit more, he'd see that there are other possibilities. Others, that are more likely given the current evidence. But then, we've all been Scotty. Haven't we?   I think a lot of Scotty's perspective comes from the feelings he had for Carolyn. And while Apollo had nothing directly to do with her eventual death, he probably played a part in her leaving Starfleet. So in some way, Scotty may blame him.   Kirk wants the opinion of his senior officers, Spock, McCoy and Scotty. Spock suiggests letting Apollo go, giving him “just enough rope” to hang himself.   Now, Scotty is providing a valuable and necessary alternative opinion to Spock and McCoy. Kirk doesn't blame him for distrusting Apollo. But his outburst before he leaves the briefing room does cross a line, and certainly isn't in character with who he usually is. Just further evidence that this is personal and emotional to him.   Kirk as ever, sits in the middle, trying to take the advice of both sides. Ultimately agreeing with Spock, but tempering his actions with some of Scotty's caution.   It seems that everyone agrees that it is the realm itself that took the energy from  Simone and Sulu's suits. The real question is whether Apollo is controlling it or not.   The prime directive will not allow Kirk to put a creature like Apollo on an unsuspecting world, whether he truly intends to set up church or not. Apollo accuses the Federation of lacking the compassion they pride themselves on. And this can sometimes be a valid criticism. Certainly in The Next Generation, the way the Enterprise D crew implemented the prime directive definitely lacked compassion, and was sometimes downright immoral, in my opinion.   Apollo is glad to know that he was remembered, showing footage of the Apollo mission. But as a mythological figure, not a deity.   The episode picks up on an important element of Uhura's character. Her love of singing in the mess hall for her crewmates, and in a rather flirty seductive kind of way if I may say so. Kim Stinger can sing. And again, the set looks perfectly authentic to me. She has kept the brooch safe, knowing it was important to Apollo. When she tries to give it back, he tells her to keep it.   And then he praises her voice. At that moment, Uhura realises that Apollo was the greek god of music. How must that feel, to be complimented on someone who has a high level of ability or authority themselves in that field? And while Apollo may not be a god in a true sense, he is an extremely long-lived being of immense knowledge and experience. There are likely many things you could learn from sitting down with him. Imagine what you could learn about ancient earth history from somebody who was there!   And then he unexpectedly bursts into song. Moments like this rarely work for me. Question - are the characters in the show able to hear the stringed instrument that is accompanying him, or is that just for the audience's benefit? When watching a music, my father-in-law will often joke, “where's that music coming from?” Watching a musical definitely requires an extra level of suspension of disbelief, but it works because of the genre. But having a moment like that in a show like this, that's a whole other thing.   The crewmembers in the mess hall are quite taken by Apollo, for the reasons I just mentioned.   Unfortunately, Scotty has found that the corrosive debris from the realm has gotten into more of the Enterprise's systems than just the hull. Not good news.   So McKenna comes to Kirk's quarters to see if they can finally have that chat, but is shocked and taken aback to find he's not wearing a shirt. This kind of moment is taken directly from the original series. I found it juvenile then, and I find it juvenile now. McKenna actually seems a little flustered throughout the entire scene after this awkward beginning.   McKenna and Kirk have something in common. A need to prove themselves. Kirk, as he was the youngest Starfleet officer to make captain at the age of 32, and McKenna, as Starfleet's first on-board counsellor. It may seen kind of ludicrous that up until this point Starfleet haven't had anyone on board to look after the mental health of the crew, but this show is based on the original series, and in the 1960s, menstrual health was thought of very differently than it is today. Of course, there was Doctor Denher, in Where No one has Gone before, but perhaps she was just on board conducting scientific research, rather than taking patients from amongst the crew.   McKernna has a specific recommendation regarding Apollo. She believes in his sincerity. She believes he has changed, from what he once was. The recommendations that Kirk grant Apollo's request is implicit but unspoken.   And Kirk takes that onboard. He always takes the opinions of his crew on board, but he needs more if he's to risk Apollo become what he was in the past.   McKenna makes a decent point that within all of us, there is the potential to do good or bad. Apollo is no different in that regard.   And Apollo doesn't really have the powers he once had. So is he any more dangerous than a human begin? Well, we've seen in the original series the damage a single human being can do on a primitive world. Apollo has been worshipped as a god, and that desire to be so again was still very strong in him recently.   But being weakened, and seeing his friends die, that's the kind of thing that does change a person. He's facing death himself.   McKenna seems to be quite emotionally involved in this situation. Perhaps more so than is professional.   When  Spock calls Kirk to come to the rec room, he follows a trope you often see on TV, especially in Star Trek. He won't explain what's going on, he simply says “you should see for yourself.” Now I understand why a line like that works for a script. You don't want to bog things down in exposition. You want the audience to see if for themselves. But from an in-character point of view, I can see no reason why Spock should refuse to explain himself here. Is it that hard to say “Apollo is telling stories and the crew are entranced?” It seems a little insubordinate. Could they not have Spock's line “You need to come to the rec room, and then cut to the next scene? Maybe that would be an awkward transition.   Now I get that Kirk is concerned that the crew are enthralled by Apollo. He's worried that Apollo is up to his old tricks, wanting to be admired by lowly humans, but in the end, all he's doing is telling a story. He's doing it dramatically, but how is that any different than Uhura singing and rubbing foreheads with the males in the audience? It's a performance.   He's not actually doing anything wrong.   But the way Kirk yells “Apollo!” and then “we need to have a word.” It seems overkill for the situation. Not that Kirk shouldn't have a word with him, but it's a little overdramatic. But it's very Shatner.   It's interesting. I'm finding that I'm not entirely sure how to judge this show. By 60s standards, or by today's standards? This is a modern show, but it's being made with deliberate 60s aesthetic and sensibilities. The scene with MacKenna walking in on shirtless Kirk is another example of that.   I feel that as the show goes on, it will find a balance between modern writing and acting, but still maintain its place in the 60s inspired 23rd Century. I think it's possible, that the makers of the show, on this first episode, are still finding their way themselves. And that's perfectly understandable.   The trouble is they do such a good job of it. Everything about this, the sets, the hairstyles, the music. Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd easily be convinced that this was made around 50 years ago.   The professionalism behind this fan-made production is seen on every level. That's why I'm podcasting about it, basically treating it no different than any other professional TV show.   Anyway, despite what I said earlier, Kirk is proven correct. They're barely into their conversation before Apollo declares Kirk unworthy and sweeps him away with telekinetic powers. So … not so powerless after all.   It seems Apollo is unchanged. He still craves humanity's worship. I'll be honest. He had me fooled along with McKenna.   He says he wants what he's always wanted. Humanity's love. Kirk counters that humanity never loved him. They feared him. No god should survive on fear.   The word worship means to give worth to something. To ascribe to another, that which it is worth. What it is rightly due.   On that level, in my opinion, Apollo fails to meet the standard of a god. He had demonstrated time and again that he is not worthy of what he craves.   It's McKenna who shorts him with a phaser, to rescue Kirk. But she's clearly torn up about it. Personally, I don't think she's spent enough time with Apollo to become near as emotionally caught up with him as she has. I think that's a flaw in this episode. McKenna is being portrayed as extremely over-emotional. Again, this is how a 60s TV show might portray a female character. So... I'm not sure if the episode should be criticised or praised for this. It's so confusing. This is actually the last we'll see of McKenna in this episode, as she's led away, in her grief, by Uhura.   Spock has an interesting perspective on all this. He feels on some level, Apollo cannot control his actions. That lifeforms generally find it very difficult to change their ways, to change deeply embedded behaviours. And he's right about that. Changing your ways is not easy. Even if you're determined. You try, you fail. Hopefully, you try again. It is often tragedies that make the difference. But the, Apollo has been through a lot of tragedy in recent time.   Kirk is determined that Apollo's therapy will not be at the expense of the crew of the Enterprise.   Apollo is voluntarily restrained. He believed he could control the deepest ancient drives within himself by sheer force of his will. But he lost control. As Spock said. And this all makes a lot of sense. Often we can't change the things about ourselves that we want to change just by force of will. We need to look outside of ourselves, to the support of friends, professional help, and yes, maybe even God.   Despite all of this, Kirk and Apollo now agree that Kirk can't, and shouldn't trust Apollo.   Kirk sees no alternative than to just leave Apollo restrained until he dies. But Apollo has another idea. That extra organ in his body, that humans don't have. It allows him to channel the power, but it apparently serves another purpose. It's what converts mortal worship into energy.    This whole idea of converting something as intangible as worship into energy is a pretty high-concept idea, but it's been done before. This is how the Ori in Stargate SG-1 get their power. Apollo now knows he can't control this organ. But he doesn't want to let it control him.    And then McCoy quotes Matthew 5:29. The idea is that if there is something in your body, or your life, that causes you to sin, get rid of it. This is exactly the wisdom Apollo is coming to. Better to not have that organ than to fight a losing battle against it.  Sometimes, the battle is best avoided. He wants McCoy to surgically remove the organ.   McCoy is hesitant. He can remove an organ easy enough, but this is an alien. He doesn't understand Apollo's physiology. The risks are impossible to predict. But Apollo is willing to accept those risks.   So, they go for it. And Scotty is having success getting rid of the gunk in the ship.   It's looking like all their problems might just be solved.   Now that Apollo likely no longer has the will to seek worship, he wants to revisit the idea of re-settling him on a planet somewhere. And being Kirk, he wants input from his most trusted advisors.   McCoy and Spock are both convinced. But Scotty still warns caution. They only have Apollo's word that removing the organ will make a difference. And that's true. There's still some emotion bubbling below the surface, but Scotty has got it more under control now. He's a little more reasonable. And he admits, he's not sure what the alternative is.   They still have no consensus. Kirk doesn't need consensus, of course, but with a decision as important as this, he'd like it. Scotty's words have really made Kirk think.   If they don't make a decision soon, Apollo will die on board the ship anyway. It seems his end is pretty close. Even if they take him to a planet now, he probably won't have enough time to cause much trouble.   I'm pretty sure Star Trek Continues is the first fan-made show to reconstruct the Jefferies tube set. It's pretty awesome, with the shot looking down the tube at him working. I love it.   Uhura gets zapped by her console. Apparently, she didn't move away from the console quick enough after Scotty's warning. I can't help but feel Scotty should have given the warning earlier.   And if the bio-bed readings are to be believed, Uhura is dead.   We know the show won't leave her dead, but despite that, Larry and Vic sell the drama of the moment with their performances.   Apollo sees Uhura drop the brooch.  He uses what energy he has left to bring Uhura back to life. Does that mean he lied about the organ? More likely, without the organ, he couldn't convert any more worship to power, but he still had a little energy left in him. Energy he needed to recover from his surgery.   Turns out it's not that simple. He has more energy now than before the surgery. McCoy can't explain it.   They have an interesting theory. Apollo's species can draw energy from sacrifice. They may have assumed that because worship empowered them, it was the only thing that did so. But without the organ that converts worship, his body now must pull energy from other sources.   Apollo has found another way. A better way. The energy he draws from sacrifice is less than what he once enjoyed, so no more thunderbolts, as McCoy puts it, but if he restrains himself from all that, he should be able to prolong his life indefinitely. A God sacrificing himself for humanity. That sounds familiar.   And even Scotty is convinced. It's a nice emotional moment he he finally nods.   The episode wraps in a very TOS way, with Kirk summing up the moral and theme of the story, and then he and McCoy sharing a silly joke at Spock's expense. I wasn't a bit fan of those kinds of endings, but it's very authentically TOS. But then, when you'd expect the credits to roll, the camera lingers on the planet.   One Year Later. We get a nice little epilogue scene as Apollo helps a local family, and we see his face is now younger. This scene wasn't necessary, but it was welcome. I really enjoyed it.   Another little tidbithere, Doug Drexler appeared in this episode as Paladin. I'm honestly not sure who that character was, but … he was in there. Drexler is a visual effects artist who was instrumental in the Berman era of Trek. He also did that beautiful opening credits footage for this show.   Also, I have to saw that Bones and Spock grew on me through this episode.   Tod Haberkorn has a very different face and voice to Nimoy, but it's the performances of both of these guys that ultimately sold me that they were these characters.   As a modern production, mimicking something of an older style, this is nothing short of fine art. The  detail, the artistry, it's all so well done. But what would I think if I were to judge this episode as if it were the beginning of TOS season 4?   It's not one of the great episodes of Star Trek. It probably wouldn't be one of the classics, but it's a better than average TOS story. It had some nice drama, some difficult decisions for the characters to wrestle with, and it gave a fitting ending to a guest character from a previous story.   All in all, I think Pilgrim of Eternity was something of a triumph, worthy of much praise, but it's not the best of what Star Trek Continues has to offer. This show is only going to get better, according to my memory.   So let's see what the show has in store for us in episode 2 - Lolani. I'll see you then.   In the meantime, have a great 2 weeks, live long and prosper. Make it so.  

We've come to the end of our analysis of the Dark Knight Trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Can this one live up to the awesomeness that the previous two movies were? Where does this movie work and where does it not? Let's dig in and talk about how this trilogy ends. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 94 of the podcast.   Today we're talking about the movie The Dark Knight Rises.   The description on IMDB reads Eight years after the Joker's reign of anarchy, Batman, with the help of the enigmatic Catwoman, is forced from his exile to save Gotham City from the brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane.   The screenplay was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christpher Nolan The story was by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. It was directed by Christopher Nolan And it first released on the 16th of July 2012.   Once again, I hired this on DVD when it came out, and only saw it once. But I own the complete trilogy on Blu-ray now.   The movie starts with Commissioner Gordon praising Harvey Dent at his funeral. Doing just what Batman told him to do. As hard as that is for him.    That ties us into the end of the previous movie. Then we're straight to the new plot.   It's a hostage situation. Bane is introduced as a mercenary. A masked man. It's a terrifying interrogation, the way they're threatening these people, but not actually killing them.   He wants to know, who is Bane? This guy is looking for him.   It turns out one of them IS Bane. Now my first introduction to Bane was the game Batman Arkham Asylum. In that game, he's this big monstrous creature powered by the venom serum. Basically DC's answer to the Hulk.   When I heard Bane was going to be the primary villain of this movie I was surprised. How can a big mutated monster fit in with this serious realistic Batman?  I was surprised to see when he appeared, that he was just some bloke, but he's got this weird metal mask around his mouth.   No explanation is given for this odd facial decoration when he's introduced. But he does say that nobody cared about him until he put on the mask. And I have to say, his voice doesn't at all match what I would expect to hear coming out of someone who looks like this.   He's got this happy-go-lucky English accent. Sounds like it could be quite high-pitched but it's distorted by the mask.   Without any explanation, this mask is just really distracting and odd.   Bane crashes the plane. He's stealing blood from one of their bodies. This is all a pretty impressive sequence to look at, but it's very disorienting. Who are all these people? What do they mean to each other?  None of it is clear.   Bane Leaves one of his own behind, so a body can be found in the wreckage. And the guy doesn't even object. What hold does he have over them they'd so readily die for him? Spoiler alert - we'll never find out.   Even after seeing the whole movie, looking back it still wasn't entirely clear what this scene was all about? They abduct Doctor Pavel and fake his death. That'll be important later. But what's with the blood?   Back in Gotham, we learn about Harvey Dent day. A new public holiday.  The city has undergone a historic turnaround. Gotham is without organised crime. For the first time in forever. A real difference has been made. It's nice to know that Bruce was right. Gotham has been rehabilitated. He's proven Ra's Al Ghul wrong.   There's some talking about repealing the dent act, which gave police the power to act, but no real details on what they meant. And some talking about how Batman murdered Dent.   Gordon hates playing along with all of this. But what can he do? When he says he has a speech, telling the truth about Dent, but now is not the time, I think he means the real truth. Maybe one day he can tell the real truth and clear Batman's name. But not today. The peace is too fragile. Too new.   Things are not going well for Gordon. His wife and kids left him. The mayor wants to get rid of him. He was a war hero, but this is peacetime. I feel really sorry for him. The last movie destroyed his marriage. Between faking his own death - letting his wife think he'd died, and their son nearly dying, I can see how it ended. It really sucks.   So we're seeing a very different world than that of the first two movies. But let's not assume it's all gonna stay happy and nice. There'd be no movie then.   Batman might be on the run, but Bruce Wayne isn't. He doesn't have to be. Nobody knows Bruce is Batman. But Bruce is living as a recluse. His new beard speaks volumes. He needs a cane to walk. It's not entirely clear why this is. But he's not faking this. He really does have trouble walking.   The maid is stealing his mother's pearls.   And the maid is, of course, not a maid, but a cat burglar. Selina Kyle. And here's yet another example of Hollywood star casting  I would never have thought of, but I like Anne Hathaway in this role. She does a decent job of it. I think at this point, she was still stepping out of the shadow cast by The Princess Diaries. Although she had already played Agent 99 in the remake of Get Smart, which I found surprisingly good.   Wayne Manor has been rebuilt. Bruce can now operate back in the original bat cave. But it's a lot more developed.    Selina likes the pearls. She won't sell them, but what she wanted was Bruce's fingerprints.    Alfred is worried about Bruce. He hung up the cape but he never began a new life. He's not living. He's just waiting. But he's still grieving the loss of Rachel.   Alfred tells his cafe story, which is important and will be paid off wonderfully later on. When Bruce was away, travelling the world, learning how to fight criminals, Alfred hoped he'd never come back. Why? Because he wanted Bruce to find his happy ending, and live a life free of the wounds of his childhood. Alfred would go on holiday to Florence every year. He'd go to a particular cafe. Every time he'd fantasise that he'd look across and see Bruce with a wife, maybe a couple of kids. Neither would speak to each other, but they'd both know that he'd made it. That he was happy. He never wanted Bruce to come back to Gotham. There was nothing here for him but pain and tragedy. Alfred wanted something more for him than that. And he still does.   Next, we meet an idealistic young cop named Blake. He'll be a pretty important character in this movie, but it won't be clear why for some time. He's played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, who is most famous for the teenage-bodied alien in the sci-fi sitcom Third Rock from the sun. But he really sells his performance as an adult cop in a serious drama.   Selina meets a guy named Stryver.  Selina got the prints for THIS guy. Stryver is gonna kill Selina, but she's well prepared. In a lot of ways, like Batman. She puts on a good act to appear an innocent bystander to cops.   But Blake is on the case.   Thugs capture Gordon and bring him to Bane. There is a connection between Bane and Stryver.   Blake comes to see Bruce. In relation to Harvey's murder. But starts telling him the story of Bane.  He needs Batman's help. Does Blake know Bruce is Batman? Blake tells the story of his own tragic childhood. He's an orphan too. Bruce Wayne Billionaire orphan was a hero to those kids.   It was never really clear to me how or when Blake discovered that Bruce is Batman, but it also seems pretty clear that at this point, he DOES know. And he believes Batman was innocent of Harvey's crimes.   I guess Bruce's injuries are from his time as Batman. That would seem logical. But Batman didn't seem this banged up at the end of Dark Knight.   Bruce meets with Gordon in a ski mask as Batman. Gordon says Batman needs to return. He is still needed. Bruce is not convinced Batman exists anymore.   Bruce finds Selina at a charity party. This is a masquerade and Selina has chosen a black mask and cat ears. This is the closest to a cat costume we'll get to see her in. It's a realistic take that works in the context of this trilogy. Although she'll kinda continue to wear it again later in the movie for some reason, which doesn't seem to fit. Honestly, I'd probably have been okay if this was the only scene where we saw her wear it.   This party is also where we meet Miranda Tate, a bright young woman who has business dealings with Bruce, and is very interested in his clean energy reactor, which he's never put into production.   Selina ended up a thief because she did what she had to. But once you start there,  they'll never let you do what you want to. You get stuck in a life of crime. Does that excuse her actions? It certainly gives us a little more sympathy for her as a character. I suspect this is a common story in the real world. Nobody grows up thinking “I really wanna be a criminal”. She says “There's no fresh start in today's world.” And it's starting to look like a fresh start might just be something she'd be interested in, if it were possible.   In the meantime, she sees herself as a robin hood figure   Selina threatens a coming storm that may bring down the rich in Gotham. And then she steals Bruce's sports car.   Wayne Enterprises not doing well financially. Bruce put all his money into the clean energy project, but won't turn it on for some reason. But you can bet he does have a reason. Miranda supports the project and doesn't understand why he won't follow through.   Lucious has some gadgets to show Bruce, even though he says he's retired. It's some kind of aircraft. Bruce is using a device to help him walk and even kick.   We learn a little about Bane. There's a prison pit where prisoners are sent to suffer and die,  in another part of the world. Bane came from that prison. He was born and raised in hell on earth. He was trained by Ra's al Ghul. But excommunicated from the league of shadows. Apparently he was too extreme for Ra's. And that's gotta be a bad thing.   Alfred thinks Gotham needs Bruce, not Batman. He's not afraid Batman will fail. He's afraid that he WANTS to fail. He's a shadow of who he was. Physically and mentally.   So Bayne and his goons break into the stock exchange. There's no cash here. So what's his plan? It's an online theft. They don't stay long. And they leave with hostages   Bruce wears the batman suit for the first time in ages. He arrives on the bike that was once part of the tumbler.   This is more dangerous for him than ever because the police think he is a murderer. They won't hesitate to take him down.   This proves to be a real problem - because the cops are more interested in catching Batman than they are dealing with Bane and Co. Good for Bane.   Putting aside the question of whether the bike was originally part of the bridging vehicle, it continues to do some pretty cool stuff in this movie. The way the wheels rotate and allow quick direction changes is a lot of fun to watch.   But then all reality goes out the window when we see this movie's version of the batwing, which is basically a full-on spaceship. I mean, I like it, but it doesn't fit this series very well. And they don't even try to explain it. The batmobile was introduced in a way that made sense in this world, in Batman Begins. No attempt was made to do likewise with the Batwing in this movie. I found that pretty disappointing.   Selina is after a program that will clear her name. A clean slate. It erases your identity from every database on earth. It literally makes you disappear. So her desire to escape her life of crime and have a fresh start is quite genuine. But the guy claims it doesn't exist.   Batman rescues Selina from Bane's people.   Selina sold Bruce's fingerprints to Daggart, who Stryver works for, for that program. She hasn't been paid, so you can imagine how she's feeling.   Alfred is really not keen on Bruce trying to be Batman again. He's gonna get himself killed. He used to want a life beyond Batman, but with Rachael's death, that's not possible. He can't move on. And that's when Alfred decides to finally tell Bruce about Rachael's letter. It's a very powerful character scene. And this choice hurts both of them very deeply. Alfred has just sacrificed his relationship with Bruce in an attempt to keep Bruce alive. A painful representation of what love is all about. Brilliant scene. Sadly, that means we won't see any more of Alfred until near the end of the movie.   Now we find out what Bane and Daggart were up to. They've effectively bankrupted Bruce and acquired Wayne Industries. Bruce's main concern is applied sciences, but Lucious has done a good job of keeping that off the books and safe. As he should have.   But they do have his energy project.   Bruce shows the reactor to Miranda. The reason he never put the reactor into active use is because some Russians found a way to weaponise similar technology. In particular, Doctor Pavel from the plane at the beginning. The risk was too great for Bruce.   He's putting Miranda in charge of the company, in charge of the reactor. “Keep it safe and hidden. If it becomes too dangerous, she's to flood it.” Bruce has been officially kicked out of his own company. His father's legacy.   Bane kills Daggett and takes over, calling himself a necessary evil. That's kind of how the League of Shadows see themselves, right?   Bruce wants to recruit Selina to help find Bane. He offers her the fresh start. Claims it does exist. Bruce acquired it to keep it out of the wrong hands. He may be willing to let Selina use it, but he needs to trust her first. When he tells her that they're letting him keep the house, Selina makes a very interesting point. “You don't even go broke like the rest of us.” And that's very interesting. When super rich people go broke, they tend to still have resources behind them. A former billionaire is not going to find himself living on the street begging for food, like a normal person might when they lose everything. It's all relative. And I find that fascinating.   It reminds me of Alastair in the British comedy show As Time Goes By. When he said he was broke, what he really meant was he was down to his last million.   Bruce and Miranda get intimate. That seems to have come out of nowhere.   It turns out Batman couldn't trust Selina. She's done a deal with Bane, delivering Batman to him. Bane knows who Batman is as well. Selina overhears so she knows too   Now in some ways, Bane is a very similar character to Doomsday.  Doomsday is good for one thing. Killing Superman. So if you're gonna put Doomsday in your movie, you'd better be willing to have him Kill Superman.   In a similar way, Bane is famous for breaking Batman's back. That's his purpose. It doesn't mean you can't do other things with the character, of course, but Bane's inclusion is something of a promise.   I'm not as familiar with this incident from the comics as I'd like to be. I am in the process of binging the important Batman comics from the 80s and 90s, but I'm not up to Knightfall yet. Looking forward to it, though. Bane says something I find fascinating. “Peace has cost you strength. Victory has defeated you.” By winning peace in this city, Batman has not kept up his training. His physical conditioning. That has made him weak. His great victory has become his defeat.   Bane claims to BE the league of shadows. Fulfilling Ra's Al Ghul's destiny.   “You merely adopted the dark, '' he says. “I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn't see the sun until I was a man.”   Bane has found applied sciences. He has all of batman's tech And then he does it.  He brake's Batman's back.  In a shot that looks very reminiscent of the comic.   I think Selina is already realising that she made a mistake. She's on the run, not from the police, but from bane. When Blake says he can offer her protection, she just gives him this look, and Blake kinda shrugs, as if to say, okay, maybe we can't protect you from someone like that.   Selina honestly tells him she's not sure if Bruce is dead or alive.   He is alive, but barely. Bruce doesn't fear death - he longs for it. Bane has taken Bruce to the prison where he grew up. Underground and dark. The tunnel is open. You can see the sky. But climbing is impossible. That impossible hope is what tortures people's minds.   Bruce has to watch on a TV screen as Bane destroys Gotham.   Bane seems to be the only one to ever have escaped from this hole. He was born in there, and he escaped as a child.   And he's found the reactor. The board are coerced into turning it on for him.   Bane's first move is to detonate explosives he's buried in concrete all over the city. The visuals of the football field slowly collapsing looked amazing.   There are some similarities between Bane's plan and Ra's al Ghul's. Isolate the island in the middle of Gotham and then use some advanced technology to destroy people.   Most of the city's cops are in the tunnels under the city. Except for Blake.   At this point, most first-time viewers are probably surprised by how big a role Blake has in this movie, and wondering why he's in here.   It seems Doctor Pavel is the only person in the world capable of disarming the reactor bomb. After confirming this, Bane murders Pavel in front of the entire stadium.   Now we see a little of The Joker's theatricality come into play. This is going to be a game. One of the people in the crowd has the detonator.  It's not clear at this point, whether this is somebody working for Bane, or if the person doesn't actually know they're the one. Perhaps something innocuous they'll do will set off the bomb. This could have been explained better.   I feel like the writing in this movie isn't up to the same level as the previous two. Ra's al Ghul had a clear goal and motive. The Joker was completely insane, but even he had a clear motive and goal - as crazy as it was. But I can't get a reading on Bane. He says he's giving Gotham back to the people. What exactly does that mean? Gotham is finally at peace, better than it's been in decades. What does he think he's liberating them from? But does he actually care? Of course not. He sees himself as carrying the torch of the League of Shadows. He wants to destroy Gotham. But why? Batman has succeeded in proving that Al Ghul's extreme measures were not necessary. Gotham has been rehabilitated. So ….. What's it all about?   Interesting to see a bunch of tumblers, in their original cammo colours driving through the city streets.   Bane tells the city the truth about Harvey Dent, reading from the stolen speech Gordon planned to one day deliver. He's raging against the corruption of the Gotham police. Now in fairness, much of their current peace has been built on a lie. But the criminals locked in that prison are still criminals. Justice HAS been served. So what is to be gained by letting chaos reign and releasing all those dangerous criminals back out into the street? Maybe Bane wants to watch the city tear itself apart, but he can just set off the bomb.   It seems to me that Bane is his own brand of crazy, but a much less interesting version of crazy than we saw last time with The Joker.   The people of the city seem to be taking up Bane's cause and rioting. I find that extraordinary.  So Blake points out some of the criminals have been denied parole due to the Dent Act. Well….that's a potential moral issue. But it's not a well-defined one. We just don't have enough information to make a fully informed opinion. The justice system is supposed to punish the guilty, but also preserve certain rights and freedoms that they still have as human beings. But this was an act of legislation. It was a law. We don't understand the subtleties and details of that law, but the police had the legal right to keep those criminals locked up, regardless of whether Harvey Dent was a nice bloke or not. Whether what the law allowed them to do was morally right is a completely different question.   And now for the people of Gotham to want to let all those dangerous criminals out to roam the streets, and string up the cops. I'm losing all sympathy for them. The thing is, I'd be quite interested in a story that genuinely looked at the moral issues of a police force doing something a little dubious to protect the city from the special class of criminal we see in Gotham. Get some real interesting shades of grey going on so you have something to discuss. Except I don't think this movie does it at all well. It doesn't delve in and explore any of that. It's all brushed over so briefly that it becomes meaningless and there's nothing to talk about.   We cut back to Bruce and we get a little more backstory about Bane. How he came to be born down there in that pit. I don't know what country this is supposed to be, but you want to talk about corrupt justice systems mistreating the freedoms of its prisoners. This is where you look. Apparently, young Bane was attacked by other prisoners during a plague. One of the prisoners was a doctor. He tried to fix Bane's face, but his fumbling efforts left Bane in perpetual agony, and the mask on his face holds back the pain somehow. Um……..okay.   So they're trying to fix Bruce's back. A broken back doesn't necessarily mean death. My wife suffered a broken vertebra in her back from a roller-skating injury as a teenager. It's something she's lived with all of her life. The muscles learn to adapt. But Bruce is in a pretty bad way. He's got vertebrae sticking out. It's believable that Bruce could get back into physical shape again someday, but it's gonna be a very long and slow recovery.   Bruce hallucinates that Ra's Al Ghul is there with him. He surmises that Ra's was the mercenary whose wife was thrown into the pit. Ra's is Bane's father. This is reasonable speculation, but Ra's isn't really there alive to confirm it. This is all in Bruce's head. So maybe Bruce is right, and maybe Bruce is wrong. But we're expected to believe that it's true - at least that Ra's al Ghul was the mercenary, and the child's mother was his lover. But the only reason Batman, or the audience, knows this, is because Bruce learned it in a dream.   At this point I'm left wondering how long exactly is this siege taking? For Bruce to recover and build himself up to the physical strength to climb out of the pit, realistically, I'd think he'd need a year. He was in much worse shape than my wife, and she lost the better part of a school year to her injury. But it feels like the stuff in Gotham is just taking place over a few hours, or maybe a few days.   Blake actually gives us a number. It's been 3 months. 3 months those cops have been trapped underground. So much about this movie just isn't ringing true. Wouldn't the federal government have done something about this after all that time? An entire city under siege?   Lucious gives us some more bad news. The fuel cell in the reactor is deteriorating over time. In 23 days it'll go off, regardless of whether the trigger man pushes the button. If he could get his hands on the core he could put it back in the reactor and stabilise it.   After a few failed escape attempts, the prison doctor gives Bruce some psychological advice. Not being afraid of death doesn't make you strong. It makes you weak. Fear of death is necessary. It's what makes you go that extra mile and do what should be impossible. Because if you don't you die. So he advises Bruce to do the climb the way the child did. Without the rope. I don't know if this is good advice or not, but in a way it kind of makes sense. Bruce is not fully committing. Because somewhere deep down, he knows if he misses, the rope will save him. Without that safety net, he simply HAS to make the jump. So his body and mind will be more willing to do what is needed. It's all mental. Makes some form of sense. But if he fails - he can't try again. It's a gamble I wouldn't make. But Bruce would.   It's a genuinely triumphant moment when he climbs out to freedom.   We get another cameo from Doctor Crane, also known as the scarecrow. He's trying people in Bane's dodgy court.   When Gordon goes to recruit one of his cops to help, we learn a little more about the situation. The government has apparently done a deal with Bane. The details of which, we don't know. Seems unlikely.   This is a weird setting. It's almost post-apocalyptic. The cop says Gordon doesn't know whether the bomb will go off tomorrow, except … he does. Why doesn't he tell him about the time decay?   So Wayne has arrived and recruited Selina to help him. He still sees something good in her. Is that naive? Maybe. But part of being a literary hero is looking for the good in people. Gordon has been captured by the goons and is being forced out on the ice, even though he would prefer to be shot than play along with the charade.   Bruce lights his symbol in flames on the side of a building, because he knows the power of a symbol to give people hope is an important weapon in this fight. Batman can't save the city alone. That will take good people to stand up.   Blake and Selina are gonna lead people out of the city to safety while Batman leads an army against Bane.   Selina is still ultimately selfish, but she wants Bruce to come with her. There's an inkling of something between them, at least from her side. She makes the point that he doesn't owe these people anything more. He's given them everything. And she may be right. Maybe they don't even deserve him anymore. But true heroism gives what is undeserved. And as he ominously points out, he hasn't given them everything. Not yet.   It really does look like a war. The cops all lined up in their uniforms, facing off against the crowd of Bane's thugs.   A big battle like this is a pretty epic way to finish off the trilogy, I'll grant them that.   So big surprise, Miranda is the child of Ra's al Ghul, not Bane. She's working with him and she has the trigger. Bane was her protector. I'm not sure this really works.  Did she really know about the reactor before Bruce told her? Because Bane seemed to. I dunno.   Also, this calls into question a lot of the backstory we thought we knew about Bane. So…has he actually been in that pit since childhood? Did he grow up there? Was the whole story about the doctor messing up his facial surgery so he needed the mask to keep the pain at bay true or not? We're just left feeling a little bewildered.   Fortunately, Gordon has managed to block the detonator, so it doesn't explode at once. Selina has finally decided to have a change of heart and help Bruce.   Miranda has flooded the reactor so there's no way to prevent the bomb from exploding anymore.   The only thing that can be done now is to fly it away from the city. A suicide mission. Batman is quick to sign up for that with his batwing. Now he really will have given everything.   Gordon wants to know Batman's identity, not because he ever cared, but because people should know who gave his life for them. Bruce subtly tells him who he is by relating an experience from his childhood.   When this movie was soon to come out, I remember saying to a workmate of mine that I suspected Batman would die in the third movie, sacrificing himself for others. My reasoning was that it had been confirmed the series would be a trilogy. This would be the end. And Batman dying just seemed a fitting end that would fit the tone of the series.   So I felt kind of gratified when I saw exactly that play out. Of course, it's not over yet.   It's fitting that Bruce's funeral is attended by Gordon, Lucious, Blake, and Alfred. The people who knew who he was. I'm curious what kind of cover story they came up with for Bruce's death. I don't think Gordon revealed Batman's identity publicly, because when asked about who saved the city, he simply says “The batman.” But with all the death and destruction, it shouldn't be too hard for Gordon and Blake to explain it.   Poor Alfred. He's so heartbroken. He blames himself. He feels he let down Thomas and Martha Wayne.   Blake has thrown in his badge. I think the inability to adapt of the officers that wouldn't let him escape with the kids has hardened him to the rigid structure of the force.   I got pretty emotional at the reading of Bruce's will. He's left everything to Alfred, the man who raised him, who was as much a father to him as Thomas was. And Wayne manor is to be used to care for the city's orphans.   So we learn that Blake's real name is Robin. Bruce has left him information to find the batcave, in case he wants to continue Batman's work.   So that's why Blake's story was so important to this movie. He is…this universe's equivalent of Robin. In the comics, Robin was just a code name given to a number of people. Dick Grayson, Json Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damien Wayne. In this version, Robin was the guy's real name. It's little more than a nod to the concept, but it kinda fits this interpretation.   And that brings us to that last scene. We learn with Lucious that the Batwing's autopilot was fixed after all. So Bruce Might have survived.   Then we see Alfred taking a trip to that cafe. The one where he used to fantasise about seeing Bruce happy and okay. He looks up, and there he is. Bruce is sitting at a table with Selina. They nod to each other and Alfred leaves. All is okay now. It seems that the clean slate program has given both Bruce and Selina a fresh start.   This is a powerful scene. It pays off the earlier scene so beautifully. It shows that Bruce and  Selina have made a happy new life together, but most importantly, it provides reconciliation between Bruce and Alfred. Forgiveness. A promise that they are still family.   It's a wonderful way to end the movie.   As for Bruce and Selina, I love that they end up together. There is always an aspect of attraction and tension between Batman and Catwoman. But this movie didn't do enough to establish that. They kiss shortly before he dies, for no real reason. And that's it. I think It would have worked better if they'd established a little more between them earlier in the movie, maybe instead of with Miranda. The sex with Miranda did nothing other than to make her betrayal sting a little worse, but honestly, I don't that was needed. Miranda's betrayal would have been just as powerful whether they'd had sex together or not.   So … how can I sum up this movie? I derive some enjoyment from watching it, and I'll probably watch it again some day. But in terms of quality, it's not even in the same league as Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. This one has a reputation for not being as good, and I do think they dropped the ball. I can't help but wonder if it was rushed. It seemed like they needed a little more time to revise the script. I was going to say that a longer runtime might have helped it as well, but I was surprised to look up and learn that this movie was actually the longest in the trilogy.   I found myself really having to concentrate to fully get my head around this one. I had a similar experience with The Dark Knight, but that was because there was so much going on. But all those pieces fit together beautifully like a jigsaw puzzle. It was meticulously put together. There was a lot less going on with this one, but the pieces didn't seem to fit together quite as well, and some of the pieces were missing.   So what do I like about it? It's got some really cool visuals. The effects and the camera work are beautiful to look at. I liked Blake's character. I liked Batman's sacrifice and his new secret life. That whole last scene is beautiful. I liked Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Selina Kyle, though as I said I felt they could have done more with her and Batman. I liked that they tried to tie this in a lot to Batman Begins, to round off the trilogy and make it feel whole and complete. But I don't think they really succeeded in doing that effectively. And I like the whole Bane breaking Batman's back thing, and I liked Bruce's journey of getting himself back on his feet and out of that prison - although the timing doesn't really work.   So that's a decent list of positives.   This was as good as the average superhero movie, but a bit of a disappointment when compared to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.   Ultimately, though, this trilogy has held up really well for me. The awesomeness of the first two more than makes up for the shortcomings of the third. This trilogy changed the way Superhero movies were made. At least for a time. It showed that Superheroes really could be taken seriously as dramatic characters. And it laid the foundations for the Snyder universe that I love and adore so much.   I've enjoyed covering these movies. I hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on them. Next time, we start a whole new adventure. We're going to be covering all ten episodes of Star Trek Continues. It's gonna be a lot of fun, so I hope you'll join me for that.   Until then, have a great two weeks Live long and prosper. Make it so.

The Dark Knight has a reputation for being one of the great superhero movies, and it is completely deserved. Revisiting this movie for the first time after my initial viewing I was blown away by the writing. This is a masterpiece of thematic story-telling. With fantastic performances, especially from Heath Ledger as The Joker. So let's see what Batman is up to this time as we discuss The Dark Knight. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings The author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd. This is episode 93 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the movie  The Dark Knight   The description on IMDB reads When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.   The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan (who are brothers) With story by Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer It was directed by Christopher Nolan And it was first released on the 14th of July 2008   In 2008 I was raising a very young family. I had just bought my first house or was shortly about to. I wasn't made of money. Consequently, instead of buying this movie on DVD as I did with Batman Begins, I hired it from the local video rental place because that was cheaper. And forget the cinema. I didn't go to the cinema for years when my kids were little. So I've only ever seen this movie once.   I remember continuing to enjoy the serious tone, but it didn't have that origin backstory element that I loved so much in the first movie. So I was really interested to see how I'd react to a rewatch after all these years.   The movie has a very silent beginning. So much so I had to keep checking that the sound was working on my computer.   We know from the ending scene of Batman Begins that this movie would introduce The Joker as its villain. The Joker is well known as the most famous, most iconic Batman villain. And this in large part thanks to the Adam West TV show, I believe.   I think it was smart to use lesser-known villains in the first movie, like Falcone, Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul and Even Victor Zzazz. It expanded the world for those not familiar with the comics and gave Batman room to really shine as he came into his own.   But this was the time to introduce his famous arch-nemesis.   When we first see a criminal wearing a clown mask our natural inclination is to think, this has got to be the joker, or someone who works for him, right? Turns out these guys are working for him, but it's not a close association. He planned this heist, and he wants a cut.   He calls himself The Joker because he wears makeup to scare people, like war paint. We'll come back to this. It's a shock when one robber is killed by another as soon as he's finished his work on the security system. And it would seem to make sense at first. One less person to split the money with, and these are hardly moral people. Unless something goes wrong and you need that guy again, or if you get a bad reputation for killing your team members and nobody wants to join your crew for future endeavours.   Turns out, this is a mob bank. One of the workers has a shotgun. I have to admit, the idea of the mob owning a bank is a concept I'm struggling to get my head around.   Looks like none of these crooks really know the full plan. Half of them are instructed to kill the other half.   The mob guy makes a good point. If you work for someone like the joker, who orders his own people dead, he'll only do the same to you.   Except the guy he's talking to ends up being the joker. In the end, he doesn't have to share the money with anyone. But who's gonna want to work with him? So taking a more active role than it appeared. He definitely has a flair for the dramatic in the way he kills people.   Using the school bus as a getaway vehicle to blend in with all the other school buses is clever, but it would require expert timing, and wouldn't the back of his bus be banged up from crashing through the wall?   I was surprised to see someone wearing the scarecrow mask from the last movie.   It's not surprising, however, that there would be a copycat batman or two. But this guy doesn't compare to the real thing.   And It seems it's actually Doctor Crane himself. Has he escaped from jail? And why would he now be playing vigilante? That's a bit weird. There's a story-telling reason to do this. The idea is you show the villain who was such a threat last time as being ineffectual compared to the new villain, thus emphasising how powerful and threatening the new villain is. Except, Doctor Crane was never much of a threat to Batman. Ra's al Ghul was the main threat. The big difference, of course, between Batman and these fakes, is competence. He's got the skills, the experience, and the equipment. They don't.   Bruce has obviously affected some upgrades to the tumbler. It has some auto-drive features, which are not so unbelievable in 2022, but were still science fiction 2008.   Batman doesn't always come when Gordon turns on the signal, because he's busy. But Gordon likes to do it anyway, to remind people that Batman is out there.   That one scene when Alfred brings breakfast into an empty bedroom speaks volumes without a line of dialogue. Of course, the next scene has the dialogue which is almost redundant. Bruce has set himself up with a temporary batcave under a Wayne Enterprises facility while the mansion is being rebuilt. It's a massive empty area with white ceiling. It looks somewhat unreal. Alfred warns Bruce that he needs to know his limits. Bruce says Batman doesn't have any, and Alfred points out that Bruce does. What's going to happen on the day when he realises them.   And that's a clear ominous warning about a coming theme in this movie. And while Bruce likes to think that Batman has no limits, he clearly does, because even as a symbol, he's portrayed by a human being. Batman is built on the flaws of that human.   We meet the exciting new DA. Harvey Dent. And for those who haven't picked up on it, we see him making decisions by flipping a coin. Rachel is not only working for Dent, she is apparently dating him. She gave Bruce a little sliver of hope that maybe they could be together someday when Gotham no longer needs Batman, but at the same time, it doesn't seem that she's willing to wait for him. I'm not saying that she should, but by dating someone else it makes her offer kinda hollow.  So now we have to talk about Katie Holmes. Because Rachel has mysteriously changed her face like a timelord.   Katie Holmes didn't return for this movie. And we don't know exactly why. We probably never will. We know that Christopher Nolan wanted her to return and was reportedly a bit upset that she didn't. She was quite busy at the time and has said publicly that it was a decision that was right for her at that moment but would love to work with Nolan again someday.   I was disappointed when I learned that the character had been recast. I quite liked Katie Holmes in Batman Begins. The role went to Maggie Gyllenhaal. And I have to say, having just re-watched this movie, she did a fantastic job. It can't be easy to come in and portray a character previously played by someone else, especially if you're supposed to be in the same continuity as the previous. But Maggie made me believe. And while I really liked Holmes in Batman Begins, I think I can say that Maggie Gyllenhaal gave a better performance in The Dark Night. She plays Rachel as a little older, a little wiser. And I really enjoyed what she did.   The new head of Falcone's crime organisation, Maroni, who's played by Eric Roberts, an actor I quite like, has apparently got a fall guy to admit to being in charge, much to the amusement of everyone in the audience. I'm sure that's not what they're called in a court case, but you know what I'm talking about.   This guy has smuggled a gun right into the courtroom, even up to the witness stand, which is a little hard to swallow, but at least this movie gives an explanation. It's made of carbon fibre, which I'm guessing doesn't set off metal detectors? Last movie, both Bruce and one of Falcone's men got guns into the courtroom and that was never explained.   Dent comes across as very cocky, but also very capable. He disarms the witness without a single hint of anxiety.   Gordon and Batman are trying to cripple the mob by depriving them of their money. They plan to raid the mob banks before the Joker and rob them. The Joker is a side-problem at present.    Bruce is falling asleep in board meetings because he's out all night being Batman, but that doesn't mean he's neglecting the company. He's keeping a tight eye on things, more so than appears. I like that.  This is his father's legacy, after all.   The rivalry between Bruce and Harvey over Rachel is kind of embarrassing to observe. I guess I can't blame him. Bruce and Rachel are not together, but not by Bruce's choice. Often in Superhero stories, you'll have the hero tell his love interest that they can't be together but then get all moody and belligerent when the woman pursues something with someone else. I believe Smallville did this once or twice. But you can't have it both ways. Anyway, nothing quite so angsty is going on here. Bruce would have Rachel in a second if she'd have him, and Harvey is in the way of that. This is a point we'll connect back to later when we talk about character goals.   As far as we know, Harvey has no beef with Bruce, but when another guy puffs out his chest at you in a passive-aggressive kinda way, you're gonna puff back. That's just how it works, right. So there's this mutual ribbing that's going on during the conversation. I mean, it was quite rude of Bruce to intrude on their date the way he does. But he doesn't really care.   They begin debating the merits of Batman. Ironically, Harvey is in defence, and Bruce against. I like how Bruce's date isn't just portrayed as a bimbo. She has considered opinions and she's the one who brings up the topic.   Rachel points out the example of Cesar, who was appointed by the people to defend them but then never gave up his power. Could the same end up being true of Batman? Harvey's answer is important. This is his thematic sentence. “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”   Let's see how this particular theory plays out with our main characters throughout the story.   But Harvey thinks Batman doesn't want to do this forever. He's looking for someone to take up his mantle. Maybe even somebody like him.   And he'd be shocked to learn just how right he is about this. Bruce is sold. He wants to throw his financial support behind Dent. But he has his own ulterior motives.  What if Harvey Dent is the hero that can solve Gotham's problems in a more ‘by the book' kind of way? What if he could take over the mantle from Batman? That would then leave Bruce free to pursue a relationship with Rachel - one she claims she'd be interested in once Batman is a thing of the past.   Ultimately, Batman is thinking more about his own personal wants and needs here than about what's best for the city. It's hard to blame him. He's an imperfect person who does have wants of his own. But we'll have to see what he ultimately puts priority on when the time comes. That will determine what kind of man he is.   So surprise, Lau, the guy that Wayne Enterprises was thinking of doing business with, the guy that Bruce decided not to work with, is involved with the Gotham Mob. The Joker has stolen a few million dollars from them. But Maroni isn't convinced that the Joker is the real problem. The cops are the bigger issue. They're trying to seize the rest of their cash. Lau hides the money for them so when Gordon gets in there, there's nothing to find.   And that's when the Joker barges into their little meeting. This scene is the first introduction we really get to Heath Ledger's Joker. His first act is to kill one of the mob guys who tries to throw him out, using a pencil. Now, this whole pencil in the eye stunt really disturbed me the first time I saw it, and it really stuck in my memory. I remember cringing in revulsion. That wasn't something I needed to see. This time around, it didn't affect me as much, possibly because I knew it was coming. That first time, when it happened, I really thought through the implications. Really disturbing.   It's clear to the Joker that the mob are afraid of Batman. Despite what they say, they're not having their meetings in broad daylight because of Harvey Dent.   The Joker makes an offer. I'll kill the Batman, but not for free. That's why he's here.   But can they take him seriously? He's shown he's clever. He's shown he can pull off a heist. He's demonstrated his competence and his boldness by stealing some of their money.   But does that mean he's capable of killing Batman? That's quite a different task than stealing money from a mob bank. The outspoken gangster, Gambol, isn't impressed and says he's putting a price on the Joker's head, but I think their new leader is seriously thinking about it all.   So let's talk about this version of The Joker. I see Heath Ledger as the definitive on-screen version of The Joker. I know a lot of people will point to Mark Hamill, but I'm just not really into a lot of animated stuff. So to me, Ledger was the ultimate portrayal of what I traditionally thought of as The Joker. His personality is creepy. He comes across as somewhat unhinged, but at the same time capable, and a worthy adversary for Batman. The make-up is dishevelled and badly done, and he has big scars on his cheeks, extending into a sickening smile, covered crudely with lipstick. It gives a wonderfully creepy vibe that works wonderfully for me. If the makeup was applied better, it would lose all its power. Incidentally, that's why I didn't like Joaquim Phoenix's look for the Joker in the trailers, although when I watched the movie and understood the character's backstory, I realised that it worked for that version of the character.   But some people took issue with the whole make-up idea. I know a friend of mine has talked at length about how he didn't want a joker wearing makeup. He wanted a joke with chemical-bleached skin.   Now because I don't have much of a comics history in my youth, I was simply unaware of this aspect of the character. I'm bingeing on DC comics now, but that didn't help me in the past. You see, I always thought The Joker wore makeup. My main previous exposures to the character were Ceasar Romero, who wore makeup right over his moustache, and Jack Nicholson.   As I explained last time, I completely misinterpreted what was going on in the 1989 Batman movie. I thought that Nicholson's Joker wore makeup to cover his disfigurement from landing in the chemicals. It was only very recently that I learned that the natural skin tone was in fact the makeup, and the clown face was his real skin. And I'm sorry, but I just find that kind of silly. Especially the hair. I can buy the idea of bleached skin from chemicals, but not if it just looks like white makeup. And green hair from landing in chemicals. No. That doesn't work for me at all.   So to me, The Joker has always been, and probably always will be, a creepy guy who wears clown makeup. I'm sorry, but I didn't know any different before, and now that idea is solidified in me.   Anyway, it goes without saying that Heath Ledger's performance in this movie is outstanding. He won an oscar for it. It's just such a tragedy that he died before even receiving it.   So Dent and Gordon meet Batman on the rooftop. There's a lot of blame going around for what happened, but what really matters is they need to get Lau back. He's fled to Hong Kong. Harvey can get him to talk if Batman can get him back somehow.   Is it just me or are all the actors in this movie really young?   When Bruce goes to Lucious for help. The scene always plays like a Bond film, where 007 gets his latest gadgets from Q. But somehow, that works.   The Joker comes to see Gambol, but his method of arrival is suitably theatrical. He arrives in a body bag, pretending to have been killed. And that's when we hear his question for the first time. “Do you want to know how I got these scars?” It's not the last time he'll ask somebody that question, and each time, he'll give a completely different story, each as dark and twisted as the last. Of course, at this point in the movie, we don't realise that, so we take the story about his wife-beating mother at face value. Ah, so that's why The Joker is so messed up. But that's too easy. Too trite. Does a tragic childhood justify the person The Joker is? It certainly doesn't excuse it. Does it explain it? Plenty of people have had horrible childhoods like the story he tells, but they don't grow up to be psychotic serial killers. Ultimately, I think the reason the writers had him give all these conflicting stories is that they're showing that no one incident really truly explains or justifies what he is. He's just insane.   Normally, I don't like it when explanations are not fully given, when stuff like this is left hanging as a mystery that's never resolved. Often, it's done badly so it leaves me feeling unsatisfied. But here, it works wonderfully. So I'm with it.   The Joker is slowly taking over the criminal underworld in Gotham. But he's doing it in such a Joker way. He has Gambol and some other goons fight it out, to the death, for the privilege of joining his team.   This guy really is sick.   Fox has a clever way of getting into the interior of Lau's building and planting another jamming device in there. I quite like seeing these two working in the field together.   This part of the movie really does feel like a spy thriller. Batman usually confines himself to Gotham. I think this is the first time I've seen him operating in another country on screen.   The method of extracting Bruce and Lau from the building into the plane looks awesome, but man it would be terrifying.   It seems strange to me that Rachel - a lawyer for the DA's office, is interrogating Lau, not a police officer. Is that normal in America? Because here, it's the police who interview people. Then, when they think they have sufficient evidence, they charge the suspect. Then they appear in court. Although, interestingly, we don't have District Attorneys, like in America. As far as I understand, it's actually the police themselves that prosecute criminal cases. You hear the term police prosecutor.   Gordon makes mass arrests. Rachael and Dent have worked out some legal options where if you get a conviction on one, you can get a conviction on a bunch of their accomplices. I don't fully understand, but it's looking pretty nice for the good guys at the moment.   Until the Judge finds a playing card, a joker, amongst her papers. The Joker makes a direct challenge to Batman by dumping the dead body, in Joker makeup, of one of the copycat batmen into the Mayor's window.   The Joker wants Batman to step up and take off the mask. Every night he doesn't, people will die.   Despite the jokes and ribbing, Bruce is genuine when he says he believes in Harvey Dent. Yeah, he's got his ulterior motives, but he genuinely believes Harvey is what the city needs, maybe even more than it news Batman. Gotham needs a hero with a face. Bruce opens up to Rachel. He believes that day is coming very soon when Batman won't be needed. And when that day comes, he's asking her to be there for him.   The people The Joker plans to kill tonight are quite important. The judge and Commissioner Loeb are among them. Harvey Dent may be another. The Joker crashes Bruce's fundraiser for Dent.   Rachel stands up to him and that's when he tells his second scar story. This one is about a wife who was disfigured. He disfigured himself to be like her, and she left him.   When Batman shows up, The Joker throws Rachel out the window. Batman has to jump out, catch her, and reach the ground safely. His cape barely opens as he's seconds from crashing into a car uncountable stories below. This is even more unbelievable than the fall out the window in Batman Begins. It's laughable to expect us to believe that Batman and Rachel are still alive. That's a real problem for me.   Alfred seems to have a greater understanding of The Joker. This is not a man with a rational goal. He's not after the things that most criminals are after. Some men just want to watch the world burn.   So how do you understand a man like that? How do you defeat him? Batman has been called the world's greatest detective. We get to see him doing a little detective work. Specifically, some forensic work, analysing gunshots into brick.   I really like how the movie acknowledges that somebody in Wayne Enterprises is going to notice their own tech from applied sciences being used out there by Batman. That's only logical. But Lucious is quite capable of dealing with that.   What's harder for me to swallow is that Bruce gets a fingerprint of the shooter off the hundreds of shards that were once a bullet.   The Joker's next target is the mayor, who is giving a speech at Loeb's funeral. It's interesting to see the Joker out of makeup as he pretends to be one of the cops giving a rifle salute.   Gordon has been shot, but we know he can't die because he hasn't become commissioner yet. Still, they play it for real. And they portray the emotion of it very well.   Rachel is the next target. Harvey needs someone he can trust, and Rachel suggests Bruce Wayne.   So, you know the trope, where the vigilante holds the crook out a window, threatening to drop them. We know they won't. The crook knows they won't. In this case, Batman has specifically chosen a height that won't kill Maroni, so that he can make good on his threat when Maroni calls his bluff.   Maroni makes a good point. Batman has rules. The joker has no rules. Nobody is gonna cross The Joker for Batman. The only way to find him is to take off his mask and let the Joker come to him. Or he could just let more people die while he makes up his mind. Harsh truth.   Dent is trying a different tactic. Putting a gun to the mobster's head. But Maroni was right. This guy won't talk. Dent offers a toss of the coin. But is he really gonna kill the guy? I know he's worried about Rachel being the next target, but is the DA really ready to take a life in cold blood? Turns out, this guy is a paranoid schizophrenic. There's not a lot Dent is gonna learn from him. Batman has some words for Harvey. He is a legitimate voice standing against the crime in Gotham. Doing it by the book. That's the first ray of light this city has seen in decades. What would happen if people saw their white knight holding a gun to a man's head? Bruce is convinced that the people need someone better than a vigilante in a bat mask. They need somebody working on the correct side of the law with his face uncovered. That's something Batman can never be.   I love how all of this is building toward the conclusion of this movie. It's like a tapestry where all the threads are coming together to make something greater. There really is some great writing in this one. It's all very thematic.   Bruce is ready to pass on the torch. Right now. He's going to unmask himself so nobody else dies on his behalf.   Dent considers giving up. Even Rachel isn't convinced that this will keep The Joker from killing people. But it may flush him out and allow somebody to stop him. I understand Bruce's perspective. What choice does he have? He can't just keep watching while people die. Is protecting his secret identity really more important than all those lives? I think he's making the only call he can under the circumstances.   Rachel admits she meant what she said to him at the end of Batman Begins. If he ends Batman, she'll be with him. But she believes that if Bruce turns himself in, they won't let them be together. “They” could refer to a lot of people. The Joker, any criminal with a grudge against Batman. The police.   Bruce is destroying any evidence that could lead back to Lucious or Rachel. Today, Bruce has found out what Batman can't do, but as predicted, Alfred doesn't want to say “I told you so.”   At a press conference, Dent debates whether Batman should be turned in with the crowd. They all want his head, so he gives in. As Bruce begins to step forward, Dent falls on his sword. “I am the Batman,” he says.   Bruce hesitates. He doesn't turn himself in. What should he do?   Rachel isn't impressed. Dent reveals how he makes his own luck - both sides of his coin are heads.   The Joker makes his move to capture Dent from the prison transport. But Batman makes his move as well, essentially proving that Dent is not Batman by appearing in the tumbler.   Action scenes with The Tumbler are always fun. But sadly, it's been damaged beyond immediate repair. So…..Bruce ejects in a motorbike.   This is a problem. I can't believe that the bridging vehicle was designed to come apart and partially transform into a motorbike. Clearly, Bruce and Lucious have made a lot of alterations. But I just can't buy that. I mean, the bike with the massive wheels looks cool and all, but this breaks the believability a bit too much for me. This is no ordinary bike, though. It can do some really cool things. Despite all he has done, Bruce still holds to his rule. He doesn't kill The Joker.   Just when all hope looks gone, who should show up but Jim Gordon. Alive and well. Now they have The Joker in custody. Gordon says he couldn't risk his family's safety, which is why he went through this ruse. But he still put them through the heartbreak of thinking he was dead. And that's pretty bad. And they haven't even found out the truth yet. Gordon is on his way home to tell his wife he's alive now. She gives him the slap that I think he deserves. But in all the commission, one thing that I missed in my first watching all those years ago. The mayor names Gordon Commissioner. So he's finally reached the position he's known for.   They've found no Id on him. No idea what The Joker's true identity is. His name.   How do you charge someone without knowing their name? It's not like they can just call him “The Joker.”   But there's some bad news. Dent didn't make it home. So who has him? Gordon lets Batman do the interrogation. This is where we see the beginning of the nemesis relationship. The Joker doesn't want Batman dead. What would he do without Batman? Go back to knocking off mob bosses? The Joker needs a worthy adversary. Batman completes him.   The Joker tells Batman he's going to have to break his one rule tonight - his rule against killing. And he's already been considering it. But it seems the Joker knows who Batman is, or at least, he knows there is a connection between Batman and Rachel. Batman is going to have to choose between Dent and Rachel. One life or another. The Joker tells Batman where each of them are. Batman's decision is made without even thinking. He's going after Rachel. The police will go for Dent.   It's a sick setup. They're both wired to bombs, but there's a speakerphone between them, so they can talk to each other. Hear each other's screams.   The Joker's method of escaping is clever, but disturbing.   Rachel doesn't want to live with Harvey, so he finally gives him the answer he's been waiting for. The question is obvious. Her answer - yes.   So…seems she's not willing to wait for Bruce after all. She'd already decided that, as we'll learn from her letter. She's convinced a day will never come when Bruce doesn't need Batman.   And now comes the real tragedy of this whole thing. Batman bursts into the location where he was told Rachel would be. But it's Harvey. The Joker gave him the wrong addresses. He switched them. So that by thinking he saved the one he chose, he'd actually be killing them.   Harvey is not happy that Batman came for him instead of Rachel - which of course he didn't mean to do.   And Rachel has to calmly accept it. It's that moment when you realise you're about to die and there's nothing you can do to stop it, so there's no use struggling. But at least the one you love is safe.   And then it happens. The buildings explode. Harvey is saved, but Rachel is not.   Rachel is dead. And Batman unknowingly killed her. This is a heart-breaking tragic moment. It was a gutsy move. It was not normal, especially at the time, for a superhero to actually kill off the love interest like this. That was dark.   Of course, I'm not against tragedy or darkness in stories. But ouch. This hurts. But sometimes stories are supposed to hurt. That's what makes them powerful.   Before she died, Rachel gave Alred a letter for Bruce, telling him she'd decided not to wait for him. She was gonna marry Harvey Dent. Alfred ultimately decides to destroy this letter rather than give it to Bruce. I think he reasons that the rejection on top of the death is just another level of grief he doesn't need. He'll at least let Bruce keep the hope that Rachel was going to be with him. It's hard to say which would be more painful, knowing that you could have been with her if only she'd survived, or knowing that no matter what, you'd never have been able to be with her.   Harvey's face is half-burned in the explosion. We know what that means. When I first saw this movie, I was embarrassingly unfamiliar with Harvey Dent, and who he was destined to become. I think the coin gave me some hints but I remember being surprised when I realised where this was going.   So…..Two Face is born. The makeup effects are very well done. But….it looks really gross. Not something I actually want to look at. Harvey is not accepting skin grafts. I'm no doctor, but I don't think he's going to be able to just walk around with a big hold in his cheek, with his eyeball all exposed like that, without getting some serious infection.   Maroni claims he can tell Gordon where the Joker will be tonight.   The Joker proves he's a different kind of criminal when he burns all the money. He's an agent of chaos. Then he calls the talkback show that's about to reveal Batman's identity and threatens more chaos unless someone called “Coleman Reese” isn't dead within the hour. It wasn't entirely clear to me at the time, but Coleman Reese is the guy who has figured out Batman's identity.   Rese is not dead, so true to his word, The Joker sets off a bomb destroying the entire hospital.   They managed to clear it, fortunately.   Bruce has developed a system where he can use every mobile phone in the city to listen in and pinpoint people of interest. As Lucious points out, it's a clear violation of privacy and potentially gives too much power to one person, even though the only person Bruce trusts to use it, over even himself, is Lucious.   It's an interesting dilemma. It may help Bruce find The Joker, and Lucious is willing to help him this one time, after which, he'll resign.   Batman is a vigilante. He operates outside the law. It's interesting that this is the line that Lucious feels so strongly about.   What do you think? Has Bruce crossed a line here? And if it helps him stop The Joker, is it worth it?   Havey is after the people that took Rachel. Moles within the police department. The Joker has threatened more chaos and death in the city, and half the population are evacuating Gotham via ferry.   The joker is running a sick social experiment. Two boats. One full of criminals. Another full of evacuating civilians. Each rigged with a bomb. Each with a detonator to destroy the other boat. At midnight he blows both boats up, unless someone on one of the boats pushes their button - destroying the other. The Joker will let that boat live. So by sacrificing (murdering) the people on the other boat, they'll save themselves. The civilian boat is taking a vote. The guards on the criminal boat are desperately trying to stop the prisoners from rioting and pushing the button.  This kind of sick game is exactly the kind of thing that The Joker delights in.    Meanwhile, Harvey has taken Gordon's family. It's all happening.   There's lots of fantastic drama as the crews of the boat try to make their decisions. It's really interesting how it all develops.   Thanks to his invention, Batman has found The Joker. And so begins their epic showdown. In the end, neither crew destroys the other. Likewise, Batman and the Joker won't kill each other, Batman because of his morals, and the Joker because fighting Batman is too much fun.   The joker is fighting for the soul of Gotham. That's not gonna be won with a fistfight. Much  like Lex in Batman V Superman, he's trying to make a philosophical point about morality. But the people in those barges have just proven that the city is full of people willing to do good.   But for how long? The Joker has taken the white knight - Harvey Dent, and transformed him into something ugly. I'm not talking about his face. He's turned Dent into a killer. The beacon of hope that Bruce so believed in. When people see that, their idealism, their hope in good, will evaporate.   THAT is the joker's victory.   But the Gotham police arrive and arrest him. He'll spend the rest of his life in a cell, and that's the last we see of him in this movie. But there's still a good 20 minutes left of the film. How can you have a climax without your primary villain? Isn't that The Joker? Well, he may in fact be the primary villain, but putting aside that word, he's not the primary antagonist. Harvey Dent is the primary antagonist. The antagonist is the one who stands opposed to the protagonist's goal in the story. Our protagonist is Bruce Wayne. And what does he want? Ultimately his goal in this movie is to stop being Batman, so he can be with Rachel. He wants to raise up Harvey Dent as a different kind of hero, a better hero, a white knight who can do the things Batman can't.   Harvey opposes Bruce's goals the whole way through. First, simply by being with Rachel, keeping her from a relationship with Bruce. But ultimately, by becoming bad. By failing to be the hero Bruce wanted him to be. By constantly making bad choices, proving that he's not the good person Bruce so desperately wants him to be. And that's what we're about to see play out in this final sequence as Harvey threatens Gordon's family.   So if the Joker isn't the antagonist, what role does he place in this movie? I learned this from an old episode of the Writing Excuses podcast about the Hollywood Formula with a guy named Lou Anders. The Joker is what is referred to as the relationship character. The relationship character is the embodiment of the story's theme. The Joker is constantly trying to convince Batman that he's more like The Joker than he is like the idealised hero he wants Dent to be. “You're a freak - just like me.” In the end, Batman fulfils this by accepting his role as The Dark Knight. This is fascinating stuff to me.   It's interesting to me that Harvey has chosen Gordon as the target of all his rage. I understand he failed to save Rachel, but there are bigger targets. The Joker is the most obvious, of course, but he has his reasons why he wants to go for someone more directly connected to the failure.   Batman is a more logical target. Batman was the one who went to the wrong place and saved Harvey instead of Rachel.   I could totally understand Harvey targeting Batman, but Gordon? I guess the difference is, Gordon is tangible. Gordon is a real person with an identity and a family. What is Batman? A persona. How do you hurt Batman? Who are his loved ones? You can't know that without knowing who is behind the mask.   And Harvey's approach is very Joker-like. He's playing games. He's gonna pick one of Gordon's family, the one he decides Gordon loves the most. That's the life he's going to take. One for one. He doesn't even want to escape from this, and that makes him especially dangerous.   Batman shows up, mercifully. Harvey feels betrayed not just on a personal level because of Rachel but on a larger leve., “You lied to me. You said we could be decent men, in an indecent time. You were wrong. The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is change.” In his mind, that's fair.   The Joker chose Harvey because he was the best of them. Joker wanted to prove that even a man like Harvey Dent could fall. Sadly, Harvey has proven him right. That's the tragedy of this whole story.   The heavy drama here is powerful. Doubly so because I'm a parent.   So Batman rescues the boy, and Harvey dies in the struggle, leaving Gordon and Batman with a dilemma. The Joker has won. Any hope for saving Gotham dies with Harvey's reputation.   So Bruce does the only thing he can. There is only one way left to defeat the Joker, and he can't let the Joker win. Batman claims responsibility for Harvey's crimes. “Tell them I did it,” he says to Gordon. Batman takes the fall for Harvey so that Harvey's reputation can remain untarnished, thus preserving hope for the people of Gotham.   Batman calls back to something Harvey Dent said early in the movie. He has now grown old enough to see himself become the villain. But not in the way anyone expected.   As Bruce rides off on his bike, Gordon's son says “But he didn't do anything wrong.”   I can't help but see strong Christ parallels here. An innocent man taking on the crimes of the guilty, for the good of others. And Christ parallels always hit me right in the heart, because of my own personal beliefs.   This is a tragic but beautiful ending.   So Bruce has now become The Dark Knight. The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs. The name takes on so much new significance at the end. It wasn't just a case of “well, we can't call it Batman, so what's another name for Batman?” No. The Dark Knight has deep meaning, especially when contrasted with Harvey Dent as the White Knight. Love it.   Critics of DC films, particularly the ones that get a reputation for being dark, tend to say that the movies are without hope, without optimism. Nothing could be further from the truth. This movie is dripping with hope. It's all about hope. I feel the same way about Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. I love this movie. It's so well written. It all fits together so nicely. Events are foreshadowed. Themes are set up and then paid off satisfactorily. It's almost poetic.   So, having now re-watched both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, I might still say that Batman Begins is my favourite because I really like the origin story aspect, but I think I might have to say that The Dark Knight is actually the better film. But we're talking about the difference between two awesome movies, so what does it really matter? The point is, they're both fantastic.   Next time, we'll conclude our look at this trilogy by watching The Dark Knight Rises, which I've also only seen once.   And then after that, we launch into our new series on Star Trek Continues.   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper   Make it so  

Batman Begins is my favourite standalone Batman movie. It set a precedent for the kind of grounded serious superhero movie that I would love going forward. So let's dig in an talk about it. Over the next three episodes, I'll be covering the Dark Knight Trilogy, but it all begins here with Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. ----more---- (Player control to listen to this podcast at bottom of page) Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings The author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd. This is episode 92 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the movie Batman Begins.   The description on IMDB reads After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption.   The story for this movie was written by David S. Goyer The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan. It was directed by Christopher Nolan And it first released in June 2005  In order to share my thoughts and reactions to Batman Begins, I need to very briefly talk about my past experience with Batman. Much like Superman, Batman has always been a part of my consciousness. I can't remember a time in my life before I knew about Batman. He was just always there.   The first version of the character that I actively remember engaging with was the 60s TV series, although I'm sure there was awareness before that. I wasn't alive in the 60s, of course, but I saw the show on repeats. Remember Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s? Our local TV station did their own Saturday morning show, and amongst all the cartoons, they always showed one live action show. At one point they showed the Beverly Hillbillies. At another point, it was Adam West Batman.   I enjoyed the show, but I think even at the time, I was aware that it was incredibly cheesy and silly. But to me, Superheroes were not silly. I took them very seriously.   When news of the 1989 Tim Burton movie came out, my ears pricked up. I didn't see the movie at the cinema. We just didn't really go to the cinema much when I was a kid. We watched everything on Video. And that's how I eventually saw this movie. But I remember seeing the marketing. And I had a hardcover book about the making of the movie. I remember looking at the darker aesthetic and thinking, wow. This is a gritter, more serious take on Batman. I was VERY interested. Would this movie take the character as seriously as I did?   When I finally saw the movie, I enjoyed it. It was more grounded. I liked how they explained the Joker's smile. He had to have his skin stretched after his accident, so he used makeup to make it less weird. At least, that's how I interpreted it. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realised that the normal skin tone was actually the makeup, and the white skin was real.   This movie was much closer to the kind of Batman I wanted, but it still had more campiness than I expected. Most of that came from the Joker. Seeing him prance about with his goons spray painting the museum, it felt like I was right back in Adam West land. But it was more than that. There was a thick veneer of un-realness over them, especially the second. It was the architecture, the people, the 1930s cameras, Penguin's father's monocle.   And the movies in that series got progressively more and more silly. I don't want to speak too disparagingly about that series, because there's lots of good stuff to like.   But when they announced that the Batman movies were getting rebooted, I was very interested once again.   And this time, they really were taking it seriously. Batman Begins was a more serious grounded Batman. This was a movie that took the character as seriously as I did. It treated him like a person and really fleshed out Bruce Wayne as much as it did Batman. This was EXACTLY what I'd been looking for. And to this day, Batman Begins is still my favourite stand-alone Batman movie. It'll be interesting to see if that still holds after I re-watch The Dark Knight, which I've only ever seen once. I say standalone because Batman V Superman was a multi-hero movie. But Batman Begins primed me for Zack Snyder's work. Batman Begins made me fall in love with the grounded serious Superhero movie. And I've never looked back.   So let's dig in and talk about it.   So the movie begins with a shot of the sky with bats flying everywhere, and Batman's logo revealed in the background. That logo is so recognisable that you really don't need any text. That's something the marketers knew even back in 1989.   Bruce is running around his garden as a child. Most Batman stories begin with Bruce walking through the alley with his parents at night, but this is a different take. This is Bruce before the tragedy. It's all bright colours and sunny. Bruce has a big smile on his face as he plays with his childhood friend Rachel. But he's a bit of a little ratbag. Rachel has found something cool, it's an old arrowhead, and he snatches it from her. It seems that child Bruce has developed a sense of, I can have what I want, because I'm rich. Not exactly the lesson his parents would want him to pick up, we'll see later that they're really good people. But this is an attitude that could easily develop in a child raised in an environment like this, unless much care was taken to help him unlearn that kind of stuff.   As Rachel chases him, Bruce falls through a hole into an old boarded up well. rachel runs to get help from her Mum, who is in Wayne Manor, which looks really cool. I'm surprised they didn't take more care to fence it off or something. This well connects to a cave system underground, and it is filled with bats. Young Bruce freaks out as they flap around his face, giving him a life-time fear of bats. This is an important element that will come back later in a way that I thought was really cool.   That's when we cut to Bruce waking up as an adult.   Now I've heard from some sources, some criticisms of this movie and it's realistic take. Pointing out that there are things in it that are far from realistic. Bruce's fall without apparent injury could be classed as one. Although we'll later learn that he did break his leg, but a bit more visible pain on his face would have helped.   For me, when I say I love this movie for its realistic take, it's not about every little moment being perfectly realistic. It's about the realistic take on the characters. It's about the world feeling like ours, rather than having that thick veneer of fakeness plastered over it like the previous movie series. As I said before, it's about this movie taking itself seriously.   This is a Bruce Wayne we've never seen. He's got a beard. He's lying in a foreign prison. Okay, What is going on here?   Most Batman stories do the parents' death and then cut straight to Batman fully costumed and operating in Gotham. But there's a big jump between those. How do you get from one to the other? That was the big promise of this movie. They were going to delve more deeply into Batman's origin story, a story that had never really been told on screen before. We see how Bruce as a young man goes off in search of his destiny, and finally finds it. Finds a way to deal with the pain of his parent's death, and ultimately, becomes the Batman we know. This was a story that was completely new to me, and I loved it.   We don't yet know what Bruce is in here for, but another of the prisoners has it out for him. Is bullying him. I quite like it when the bully refers to himself as the devil, and Bruce says, “you're not the devil. You're practice.”  That tells you so much about Bruce's mindset here. He's using everything around him, every experience, to learn and develop. To become what he wants to become. And that's very Batman.   We get to see a nicely done fight scene. It's fierce and brutal. When the guards drag Bruce away “for protection” and then reveal it's not for him, it's for all the thugs he beat up, I audibly laughed. A little humour, but not the kind of humour that pulls you out of the seriousness of the scene.   Somebody is waiting for him in his cell. A well-dressed Liam Neeson calling himself Ducard. He says something very interesting. “Are you so desperate to fight criminals that you get yourself locked up so you can take them on one at a time.” This gives us a lot of insight into who Bruce is at the moment, and what's going on in his head. Did he deliberately get himself locked up in here? I wouldn't put it past this version of Bruce Wayne.   Of course, Ducard has figured out exactly who Bruce is. And he says he works for Ra's al Ghul, a name I hadn't heard before I watched this movie the first time.   Bruce has been exploring the criminal underworld, but in the process, he's become lost. Rotting in a foreign prison. He may be learning about criminals here, but he's certainly not going to do anybody any good.   Ra's al Ghul can offer him a path. Something he needs but isn't yet convinced about. The path of the League of Shadows.   Ra's al Ghul shared Bruce's hatred of evil. He can provide a way to serve true justice. So a vigilante. Bruce isn't sure that's what he wants to be.   But Ducard sees al Ghul differently. A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed or locked up. Kinda like Bruce right now. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely. A legend. There's some good dialog in this film.   And now he's got Bruce's attention. Because he's offering a concrete way to become what Bruce really wants. A way to truly make a difference against the kind of evil, so rampant in his home city, that destroyed his life.   This is as good a time as any to talk about a theory I have. You see, the whole idea of a man dressing up as a bat to fight crime is absurd. It's ridiculous. You might even say, it's pretty stupid. So why does it work? How do you make it work?   When you're adapting a comic book to a movie, and you come across something in the comics that's silly, there's two main ways you can deal with it.   The first is to basically hang a lantern on it. This has become quite popular in recent time, but has been for a long while. The MCU did this when Hawkeye says “I'm fighting robots with a bow and arrow. None of this makes any sense.” I really don't like this approach. It's the acknowledgement, of, this is silly, we know it's silly, but let's just go with it, yeah?   Even Zack Snyder's Justice League does this a little bit, when Aquaman derides Bruce for “dressing up like a bat” and later says “I dig it.”   At the other extreme, you've got the approach that Batman Begins takes. When you find something that's silly, you either find a way to make it work, to make it less silly, or you eject it.   An example of this is the penguin. I believe Christopher Nolan has been quited as saying that The Penguin would never have worked in his trilogy because the character just wouldn't fit with the more realistic take he'd developed.   But right here, in this scene, we're seeing that Batman Begins is going to try to explain why an orphaned boy grows into a man who eventually wears a bat costume, in a way that doesn't feel silly. And for me, personally, it works really well.   Ducard has arranged for Bruce to be released from prison tomorrow. He's instructed to find a rare flower that grows on the mountain. If he can pick one, and bring it to the top of the mountain, he may find what he's been looking for all this time.   I'm liking the character development they're already doing with Bruce. He knows he's looking for something, and he's been stumbling around the world trying to find it, but so far he's failed. This is exactly the kind of person that Ra'as al Ghul would try to recruit. And yes, Bruce may have finally found what he's been searching for.   The scenery in this next sequence is quite beautiful. The grassy plains and the snowy mountains.   He makes his way up the mountain, past villages. They warn him to turn back. I guess there are stories about the questionable people who live up at the top.   Bruce is being put through a physical challenge to reach his destination. It's one thing to want to fight injustice, but it's another to have the strength of body and will to do so. Bruce first has to prove himself capable. Which he does.   Bruce finds an old asian man sitting in a chair when he finally reaches his destination. “Ra'as al Ghul?” he asks. And you'll notice the man doesn't answer. He speaks in another language, and Duard translates. I'm not sure exactly what country this is. I get the impression it's somewhere like Tibet or maybe Nepal.   Bruce is asked “What are you seeking?” “A means to fight injustice. To turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.” Bruce sounds like somebody who has already given a great deal of thought to the answer to that question. We know he's been seeking this for some time.   He presents the flower to Ducard.   “To manipulate fears in others, you must first learn to control your own.” Which seems to make sense.   Bruce can barely stand after his climb, but is still expected to defend himself. Ducard is testing him. He learns that Bruce is afraid, but not of him. Bruce has been in fights with thugs so many times before. He used to that. When Ducard asks him what he fears, we cut back to that childhood memory. Being rescued from that cave full of bats.   We learn here but Bruce did indeed break a bone, so points back for the realism thing. We also see that Rachel's mother works for Wayne as a maid. Importantly, we see Bruce hand the rock back to Rachel as they go past. It seems he's learned a lesson of sorts through this experience. Maybe life isn't all about having everything you want, and taking the things you desire from others.   His father is trying to impart an important lesson to Bruce. “Why do we fall? So we can pick ourselves back up.” That's a lesson that adult Bruce has really taken to heart, which is how he's survived so long in this lifestyle. But he'll have to re-learn it later.   In this scene, we get our first glimpse of Michael Caine as Alfred. Superhero movies are usually cast with unknowns. That makes a lot of sense, especially for the titular heroes. But Christopher Nolan deliberately cast a lot of big name stars in this movie. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes.  Nolan's thinking was, why shouldn't a superhero movie deserve to have the very best actors available. Of ourse, star power isn't always directly equal to acting ability, but these actors all do amazing jobs in their roles in this movie.   I was a little sceptical about someone as famous as Michael Cain playing Alfred. Would I really be able to see the character through the famous face? But it absolutely worked for me. All these actors sold me on their characters, and after this, I couldn't imagine anybody else ever playing Alfred. Who could possibly top Michael Cain? Of course, then Jeremy Irons blew me away in Batman V Superman, but that's another story.   Bruce is having recurring nightmares about the bats. They've really scared him. His father explains that they attacked him because they were afraid of him. All creatures feel fear - especially the scary ones. This conversation will really shape who and what Bruce will become.   And then his father shows him a pearl necklace he plans to give Bruce's mother. That's ominous. We know what those pearls mean. Right?   The next scnene gives us some great insight into who Thomas Wayne is. He's not only a good father, he's a good man. The people of Gotham have been going through hard times. He's used his money to provide cheap transport for the city, and he's not above using it himself, by the way. He owns Wayne Enterprises, a big successfully company, but he doesn't take an active role in running it. Instead, he chooses to spend his time working in a hospital as a doctor. In his own way, Thomas Wayne is a hero. He instilled a lot of values into his son.   There's been one or two interpretations of Thomas Wayne where he's a corrupt businessman. Not a nice guy at all. And while I appreciate the grittiness of that approach, I prefer this version of Thomas. The idealistic nice guy who established a legacy for Bruce to follow.   And notice that Thomas is wearing a tuxedo, and Martha is wearing the pearls. We know what's coming.   The actors in the opera seem to be dressed as bats. It's freaking poor Bruce out. There's a little exchange between father and son. First of all, he says “Can we go?” And that just comes across as any restless child who is bored and wants to leave. My response to that would be a quiet firm “No.” But his face shifts and he says “please” in a pleading kind of way. And Thomas sees what's really going on inside Bruce. And being the good father he is, Thomas leaves the show, something he probably spent good money on, something he was probably enjoying himself. But for the sake of his child, there's no question.   Martha hasn't picked up on it the way Thomas did. She asks what is wrong, and Thomas covers for him. I'm not sure exactly why he felt the need to do that. Maybe so as not to embarrass Bruce over his fears. I got another chuckle when Thomas said “A little opera goes a long way, right Bruce.”   So they've left early and are walking through the alley, and that's when it happens. The inevitable moment that defines Bruce's life.   When the mugger appears, Thomas is calm. He's willing to hand over whatever this guy wants. Again this shows the man's values. He cares about his family far more than money. And he's trying to calm the mugger.   But when the wallet drops, the mugger gets jumpy. The mugger wants the jewelly as well. He raises his gun toward Martha. And suddenly it all happens so fast. The previously calm Thomas reacts on instinct. It's not about the pearls. Somebody is pointing a gun at my wife. I must protect her. He stands in front of her. The sudden movement spooks the mugger and he fires. It's all so tragic. They were so close to getting out of this without anybody getting hurt.   Somewhere along the way Martha is shot as well.   And the poor kid is left there in an ally all alone, next to the dead bodies of his parents.   And it's all because they left early. It's all because Bruce was afraid of the bats. That's got to hurt. This is a good addition to the mythology because it drives that knife even deeper into Bruce's heart. And it's that pain that pushes him to become Batman.    The death scene is done pretty well here, but I have to say, after seeing the version Zack Snyder did in Batman V Superman, well, this just can't compare to that. That haunting music! And the lack of blood seems to detract from the realism somewhat.   We get our first look at Commissioner Gordon, although he won't be a commissioner at all during this movie. Right now, he's just a uniform cop. Probably a constable. I don't know exactly how police ranks work in America. You can tell right away he's a good cop. He shows a lot of compassion and empathy for Bruce.   The detective delivers the good news. They got the guy who did this. But that's got to be very little comfort to a child who has just lost his parents.   One of the Wayne Enterprise executives promises they'll be watching over the empire until he's ready. Again, that's the last thing that Bruce cares about.   Bruce breaks down and admits the guilt he's feeling to Alfred. And we see the beginnings of the father figure that Alfred will be from now on. That's a dynamic that I really like.   Back in the present, Ducard asks Bruce if he still blames himself for his parent's death. He says that his anger outweighs his guilt. Honestly, I'm not sure which is healthier.   Bruce has buried his guilt with that anger, but Ducard is going to help him confront it and face the truth.   Next we get something of a training montage. Not quite a montage because there's snippets of dialogue through it.   Bruce has come a long way with his own training, but Ducard will take what he can do and take it to new levels. There are a lot of similarities between Batman, the way he operates, and a ninja. Both use stealth. This movie digs into that and outright makes ninja training a part of Batman's background. I imagine a lot of this is drawn from comics, but I'm not familiar enough to know exactly what. I'm still pretty early the comics-reading journey I recently started.   But it's all good stuff.   One little detail that I love is that during their sword fight, Ducard is wearing armoured spikes on his arms, these are a famous part of Batman's costume.    There is an emphasis on theatricality and deception. These also lead very naturally into what Batman will be and lend believability to the whole thing that I really appreciate.   When Bruce is shown a criminal in a cage, we get some insight into the zero-tolerance that the league of shadows have for crime. Ducard says “criminals thrive in the indulgence of society's understanding.” We'll see shortly the kind of justice that they believe in.   The next conversation explores this idea of guilt and blame.   Ducards says “Your parents' death was not your fault. It was your father's. He failed to act.” Bruce defends his father. “The man had a gun.” “Would that stop you?” “I've had training.” “The training is nothing. Will is everything. The will to act.”   So Ducard is placing the blame firmly on Thomas, for not having the strength of body and will to stop the mugger. This is a very interesting perspective.   The truth is, there are a thousand different things that contributed to them being there at that moment. Bruce's desire to leave early, their decision to go to the opera, Thomas's gift of jewellery to his wife, probably many factors that lead the mugger to choose that particular night, that particular alley.   But ultimately, the blame for his crime, in my opinion, has to fall on the mugger. He made the moral choice to steal from these people, and he made the moral choice to kill them. The responsibility for that crime rests on him.   There's another nice quiet character scene with Bruce and Ducard around a campfire. Ducard displays a keen insight into the kind of pain Bruce has at the centre of his life. The anger he has wrapped around the guilt. The way it has affected him. He shares a little of his own story. He knows Bruce's pain because he shares it, because of the death of his wife.   Then he says something important. “Your anger gives you power, but if you let it, it will destroy you.” And isn't that the truth!   When Bruce asks what helped Ducard, he says vengeance. And I'm going to have to dispute that one. From what I've observed, Vengeance rarely makes people feel better. It doesn't take away the pain. We talked about this in Stargate Universe when Rush took revenge on Simeon for killing Amanda Perry and Ginn.   Bruce says vengeance is no help to him. He asks why Bruce never took revence for his parents.   And that leads us to another flashback. Bruce is now a young man, probably just out of his teens. He's been attending Princeton, which I believe is a pretty high profile university, but he's back home with Alfred for a hearing. Related to the man who killed his parents. Justice works very slowly. But that's probably a good thing. If there's one thing where you don't want to risk making a mistake, it's the justice system. Sadly, of course, no matter how slow and careful they are, there are still mistakes made.    Bruce is not returning to Princeton. Apparently, he hasn't ingratiated himself to the staff there. But he can't see Wayne Manor as his home either. This is his father's house. A mausoleum. Alfred doesn't see it that way. This house has been home to six generations of the Wayne family. Many times, it has passed from parent to child. The child becoming the new master of the home. Moving into the master bedroom is symbolic of that. The only difference is, Thomas's death happened so young, and so tragically.   Bruce doesn't understand why Alfred cares so much. But Alfred cares very much about this family, and thinks of it as his own. We see the same thing with Jeremy Irons' Alfred too. Thomas made Alfred responsible for that which was most precious to him. Bruce. Alfred takes that responsibility very seriously.   And then we find out why Bruce has little regard for his future. We see what Bruce plans to do. He has a hand gun.   But there's a lot more to it than just wanting revenge for killing his parents. We learn that Rachel works for the DA, and the DA is letting the mugger, Chill, go free. He shared a cell with Carmine Falcone. He's testifying against that crime boss in exchange for early parole. So this isn't the sentencing after all. I Guess justice doesn't move THAT slowly.   This is hard one. I understand why the justice system needs to make deals like this. You reward the small fish for helping you catch the big fish. The truth is, Carmine Falcone is a much greater threat to the safety of the people of Gotham than Chill is. If they can bring down Falcone, then a lot of lives can be saved. A lot of crime can be prevented.   But what about Bruce? What about his parents? Where is the justice for them? That's why Bruce feels somebody should be there to represent his parents at this hearing. To remind the world that Chill's crime had consequences. That his crime broke Bruce's life in a way that can never be repaired.   And this is also why he's planning to take justice into his own hands with that gun.   I'm not sure I noticed this when the movie first came out, but watching it now, as a 44 year old, Rachel almost looks too young to be a lawyer. Katie Holmes was famous as a teenage actor in the TV show Dawson's Creek. I didn't watch that show at the time, but I saw a little of it with my wife some time later. I'm still very much seeing that teenager in her face here in this movie. Of course, this movie came out in 2005. It feels like it was just yesterday, but that's actually 17 years ago. My first child was born in 2005. Anyway, I guess the moral of that, which I'm trying to say is that Katie Holmes retained her youthful look, so good on her, and … well….I'm getting kind of old.   As the DA, makes his case, he mentions a depression. To my knoweldge, the only depression that has occured in the last few centuries, was the great depression between the two world wars. We've had a number of recessions, but that's a lesser thing, right? And depression isn't something that just affects one city. A depression affects nations. Multiple nations. So that's a departure from real-world history.   Chill speaks of his regret for his crime. Yes, he was desperate, but that doesn't change what he did. I believe his remorse. It comes across as genuine. After 14 years of paying for the crime, how could you not come to regret it?   We all know regret right. I've been torn up by regret over all sorts of things. But none of them close to the severity of what Chill did.   When the judge announces that a member of the Wayne family is present, and invites Bruce to speak, the actor playing Chill does some great stuff with his face, showing the emotion that the character is feeling in that moment. The shame and guilt. The regret. How do you face the living victim of your murder?   But Bruce doesn't speak. He stands and walks out. And gets his gun ready. Bruce walks toward Chill, gun hidden in his sleeve, but he never gets the chance. Somebody else shoots Chill dead. No doubt somebody working for Falcone.   Bruce and Rachel talk about the difference between justice and revenge. Bruce posits that sometimes they are the same thing. Rachel says that justice is about harmony. Revenge is about making you feel better. But Bruce points out her impartial system is broken, which, it is. We talked about that, the imperfection of humans.   So Rachel decides to give him a real lesson. She takes him into the slums. She shows him the people living in poverty. Falcone floods the streets with violence and drugs. He makes these people desperate. The real villain in Bruce's story may not be the man who pulled the trigger. It's Falcone, who made Chill desperate enough to want to steal. (Which obviously doesn't exonerate Chill for his terrible crime). Rachel knows exactly where Falcone hangs out. He's there in that bar every night. But through corruption and threats, he keeps the police at bay. Nobody will touch him. They're all too afraid.   This scene is foundational to Bruce becoming Batman. This movie shows there's so much more to it than just the death of his parents and training to be a ninja. There's some real depth to the story in Batman Begins, and I love it.   Bruce admits to Rachel that he's not one of her good people. Shows her the gun. She gives him the slap he deserves. And she's right. His father would be ashamed of him right now.    So Bruce storms right into Falcone's bar and walks up to the crime boss. I like how the first half of this movie uses Falcone as its primary antagonist. In the grand scheme of things, he turns out to be a minor foe for Batman, but at this point in his life, Falcone is an untouchable, insurmountable foe to Bruce.   The conversation between Falcone and Bruce is fantastic. More great dialog. Falcone has the kind of power where he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Bruce in the head, right here, in front of cops and judges. That's power. The power of fear.   In a few quick sentences, he reminds Bruce how much he actually does have to lose. Rachel, his butler. He thinks he knows pain, but he knows nothing of desperation. It's ironic that Falcone is the cause of so much desperation in this city, but he understands it. He lives amongst it. Bruce doesn't yet comprehend that type of desperation.   But as we've seen earlier in the movie - he will.  This encounter with Falcone is the impetus he needs to go and start learning about desperation and fear. To begin his long training toward becoming Batman. So he can be one of Rachel's good people. A good person who won't just do nothing.   I don't know if Bruce will ever think of himself as good. He's too morally gray. But he's going to stand against the evil that has infested his city. Like his father did before him, in a very different way.   As soon as he's thrown out of the bar, Bruce begins to shed the trappings of his privileged life. His wallet, his cards. His fancy clothes. He sells his nice coat to a homeless man, exchanging it for a ratty old one. His journey has begun.   During this training, he lost a lot of assumptions about the simple nature of right and wrong. But he never fully gave in to it all. He didn't become one of them. He stole, but technically, the things he stole belonged to his company anyway. He still had a moral line.   So back in the present, Ducard is using drugs to teach Bruce a lesson. He must become more than a man. He must become an idea. He must use fear against his enemies. The drug is from that purple flower that grows on the mountain. It has hallucinogenic properties.   Ra's Al Ghul is satisfied that Bruce has overcome his fear. He's ready to join the league of Shadows and lead these men. But first, he has to prove his commitment to justice.   He has to behead a criminal in front of them all. But this is one of those lines Bruce has set. He's not an executioner. He won't kill this man. That's not justice. That's what Rachel tried to teach him.   This is where he differs from the League of Shadows. He'll fight men like this in Gotham. But he won't kill them. Ducard brings up a classic objection. “You compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share.” And Bruce has a good comeback. “That's why it's so important. It separates us from them.”   Ducard makes a point that Bruce knows well. Legal systems are corrupt. They are often not fit to dispense true justice. Bruce has seen this first hand in Gotham. The League has turned their sights on Gotham. That city has become so corrupt, it's time for it to die. And Bruce, as their “Prince” as Falcone called him, “is the perfect one to deliver that justice.” They plan to destroy the entire city. As they believe, this is necessary.   And so is born this Batman's no-kill rule.    I have no problem with this Batman having a no-kill rule. I quite like it. This Bruce still has some idealism left. I like idealism. I also have no issue with Ben Affleck's Batman having no such rule. That's Bruce at a very different time of his life, in a very different situation. Batman has certainly killed before, in comics, and in other movies. Remember that time when Michael Keaton's Batman casually murdered a minor goon and then cracked a joke over his corpse?   Bruce attacks the league to make his escape, burning the temple, and saving Ducard's life. Because he's still a good person.   Now Bruce is ready to be Batman. It's time to go home. Alfred is very happy to see him as he arrives in a private jet. People need a powerful symbol to shake them up. He can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, he can be ignored and destroyed, but as a symbol, he can be indestructible.   We get a nice little moment of humour as Alfred expresses some concern over his safety with Bruce's new endeavour. We also learn that Bruce was declared legally dead by the Wayne Enterprise shareholders. They wanted his majority share, but luckily, he left everything to Alfred, who is now a wealthy man in his own right. The overhead view of the Gotham skyline shows us a very realistic looking city. A place we can well believe exists. A far cry from the gothic cartoonish Gotham we've seen in previous Batman movies. This was a breath of fresh air to me. I could never really connect with the setting of the previous movies. The city just felt so overwhelmingly fake and non-real.   Now, before we see the birth of Batman, we need to meet a new character, One who will be an important villain in this movie going forward. Doctor Crane. The psychologist that gets all of Falcone's thugs declared insane, and transferred to his care, rather than facing criminal justice.   Rachel is onto him, of course, as probably everyone else is. But she's the only one with the courage to do something about it. Interestingly, Rachel seems to be taking on something of the role that Jim Gordon generally fills in the comics. The one brave good person who is willing to stand up when everyone else just looks away, either for money, or out of fear.   Of course, we see Jim Gordon doing that as well in this movie, but so far, he's been largely absent.   Rachel is warned to back off by one of her colleagues. You can't take on somebody like that. You just have to pretend it's not happening.   Bruce's first step is research. And that's a very Batman quality. Preparation. He needs to know if he'll have any allies out there. He finds some newspaper clippings about Gordon.   And that's when he sees the bat. And after all that Ducard taught him, he has an idea. He goes down the well that he fell into as a child, and finds the cave.   The cave is very rustic. It's not a habitable place, as caves generally aren't. I love the waterfall. As Bruce stands up, allowing the bats to flap all around him, he finds that he has overcome his fear of them. Now that he has it under control, it's time to share that fear with his enemies.   Despite his bravado, Rachel actually has Crane a little spooked. He has a deal with Falcone. He gets his thugs off the hook, and Falcone brings in a shipment of something for Crane. Falcone is more interested in favours than money, and for somebody like him, that makes a lot of sense. Falcone has plenty of money, but it's the favours, the connections, that make him who he is. That's the basis of his power. Other people doing what he wants so he remains untouchable. Anyway, Falcone is gonna take care of Rachel for him.   We see in the board meeting, that they are wrestling with the idea of going against the kinds of business practices that Thomas Wayne believed in. One of them argues that after 20 years they should be able to stop thinking about what Thomas Wayne would have done. And …. In part….. I think he does have a point. Thomas is no longer alive and hasn't been involved in this company for two decades.  They're the ones running this business. They need the freedom to take it in their own direction.   But, in terms of values, that's a little different. Thomas Wayne clearly set precedent for the kinds of moral and ethical values that Wayne Enterprises stands for. And those values are something that perhaps should endure. Especially when you're carrying on the legacy of your founder.   Bruce says he's not here to interfere with the company. He just wants a job to get to know the company his father built. He's interested in the applied science division. Of course, he has something of an ulterior motive here.   And this is where we get to meet Lucias Fox. Now as I understand it, this character was created for the movie, and he became so beloved, that they actually added him into the comics. This kind of thing has happened before. Batgirl was first created by the Adam West TV show, and later became part of the comics. Harley Quinn, as well. I think it was an animated series for her.   Anyway, I like Lucias Fox, and it's hard not to when he's played so warmly by the one and only Morgan Freeman.    Fox is surprised Bruce would want to be here. This division is a dead end, to keep Fox from causing any trouble for the board. A whole bunch of prototype technologies, not in production. Exactly what a young Billionaire needs when he wants to come a superhero vigilante.   This scene is great because it legitimises all of Batman gadgets. His suit is an advanced body armour, not used in active duty by the military because it's too expensive. But perfect for a vigilante who only needs one or two.   I've often heard the criticism that Batman can't have body armour any more advanced than what the US Military use in real life because they always have the best that has been invented. I think this scene goes some way to help address that.   This is what I was talking about earlier. You find something that's kind of silly in a superhero's story. In a movie like this, you either make it feel believable, or you dump it.   And that's the key. Making it feel believable, even if it's not strictly 100% realistic. That's not the point. It needs to feel sensible, not silly. It needs to give you enough to help you suspend your disbelief.   And for me, Batman Begins does that perfectly.   I love how Fox sees completely through Bruce's excuse. But all this stuff belongs to him. If he wants to use it, why not?   Alfred gives us another nice little bit of texture. Back in the civil war, Bruce's great-great-grandfather was involved in the secret railroad, helping free slaves. The caves under the mansion came in handy. There is already a passage down into them. Another nice touch that adds an extra veneer of believability to this whole thing.   Bruce is now making his suit. Painting the body armour and adding the arm spikes he learned about with Ducard. Alfred helps him figure out the logistics of ordering the materials he needs to assemble everything without raising suspicion.   We check back in with Jim Gordon. He's in an interesting situation. He's not that courageous good man standing against corruption yet. He refuses to take bribes himself, but he does sit idly by while his partner Flass collects his money. He even assures Flass that he's no rat. He won't tell anyone about the bribes. He's resigned to the fact that there's nobody to rat to.   Gordon is in a small way still part of the problem. He's definitely not yet a part of the solution.   But Bruce pays him a little visit.   I like how on Bruce's first time out, he doesn't have the full cowl. He's just wearing a balaclava. I kind of like it when origin stories do that. The slow build-up to the real suit.   Jim needs a little push. It's not until Bruce tells him about Rachel that he really considers taking a stand himself. Bruce wants to take Falcone down for the drug shipments he brings in each week. The shipments that nobody does anything about.   Bruce definitely lacks the elegance we'll come to expect from Batman as he clumsily falls and crashes around the city. He's gonna need more stuff from Fox.   The memory cloth that will form the basis for Batman's cape is pure science fiction. But couching it in science fiction terms once again gives it that sensible believability to me.   I like the exchange between Bruce and Fox. Fox is happy with the plausible deniability of it all. He knows Bruce is up to something. Bruce knows he knows. They don't have to keep pretending otherwise.   And that's when Bruce notices the tumbler.   I love the tumbler.   Designed as a bridging vehicle. They could never get the bridge to work, but the vehicle itself is fine. Perfect for Bruce's needs. I love how they introduce the batmobile in this way. I love how you first see it in Army cammo colours, but Bruce asks if it comes in black. I love everything about the tumbler. The batmobile is one of the silliest things about batman. That name especially. Thank goodness that term is never spoken aloud in this movie, or in the Synder movies. You don't need to call it that on screen, it just needs to be present. I always thought the idea of Batman driving around in a car was pretty silly. But this thing? Now you're talking!   Now, there are some issues with the tumbler in the second movie, which we'll get to. But just looking at Batman Begins in isolation, this is absolutely perfect.   You can see a defined difference between the way Bruce is approaching Falcone now, as opposed to how he did it as a young man. Back then, he was hot-headed. He burst into Falcone's bar armed with nothing but anger and emotion. And he was humiliated. Now, he's taking his time. Doing surveillance. No longer a child, Bruce has become a man. There's still a lot of emotion driving him, of course, but that emotion is no longer in the driver's seat. Bruce has learned to control it.   In reality, this isn't just a drug shipment. There are drugs, but there's also something special for Crane. Flass is actively helping Falcone protect the shipment. And he's all but offered to kill Rachel. And this is where we first see Batman in action. I love this scene. It takes all the tropes of a horror movie and inverts them. It's the bad guys that are being terrorised, and Batman is the monster. In a lot of ways, this scene defined for me, who and what Batman is. I remember playing the Arkham Asylum game. This scene was in my mind as I played that. It impacted how I played the game.   The crooks are vanishing one by one. Being taken by something in the shadows. It's creepy and it's cool. Possibly the best scene in the movie. I love when the crook screams “where are you you?” And then we hear that gravelling voice behind him, as an upside-down Batman says “here.”   They actually use the “hide the monster” trope here, but in the way I like, not in the way I hate. Because the crooks don't get a good glimpse of Batman. Not until right at the end, we finally see Batman in all his glory, as he pulls Falcone out of the car.   Bruce saves Rachel's life, and gives her the leverage she needs to get the judge to do the right thing.   It seems everything is all wrapped up. In one night, Batman has taken down Carmine Falcone, something the police in Gotham haven't been able to do in 20 years.   So Falcone is strapped to a massive floodlight. Making the image of a bat on the clouds. It's this movie's take on the bat signal.   This is a moment that gets criticism. Those floodlights get extremely hot. In reality, Falcone would be burned to a very dead crisp. And I can't argue against that. First of all, I'll point out that this light is hardly at full strength. You can tell just by looking at it that the light is pretty dim. But then, there's no way it'd be able to project that image up into the sky to be visible like that. This scene is a cheat. I'll admit that.   I always found the bat signal pretty silly. I never liked the idea that Gotham police had Batman on speed dial. Gordon, sure. But he needs a much more subtle way of getting in touch with him.   I'll admit this moment doesn't quite work, but given the overall tone of the rest of this movie, I kinda don't care.   The point is, we've established just how powerful Bruce has become, in his new persona. Up until this point, Falcone has been the big bad of the movie. He was the primary villain. And he seemed a very powerful, very intimidating villain. How can one man bring down somebody like that?   But Batman has done what that young Bruce could never have conceived of. He's brought down Falcone, and it feels kind of effortless.   Bruce Wayne has come of age.  But they've already laid the seeds of a greater challenge that Batman will face. This movie actually has an escalating scale of villains, three different levels. Bruce has just cleared level 1.   And the way the movie has done it, taking all of this time to establish Bruce's journey, it convinces me. The idea of a man dressing up as a bat and running around with a cape at night no longer feels ridiculous and preposterous. The journey has sold it. That's really important to me.   I've always been primarily a Superman fan, but looking back, while I'd always liked Batman, I think it was this movie that really made me love Batman. This movie gave me a version I could believe in. This movie finally delivered on the promise that I first saw when they started advertising the 1989 movie on TV.   Rachel has a rock-solid case. Batman has given her everything she needs.   But the police chief wants Batman off the streets. This is the tension I like. Batman is doing the right thing, he's getting the job done, and Gordon sees the value in that, but officially speaking, Batman is a criminal, pursued by the police just as much as any of his rogues are. That's what Batman was designed to be.   Alfred has some good advice for Bruce. If he's going to live this double life, he's going to have to put some effort into his Bruce Wayne persona as well. Just as Supermam cultivates an akward nerdy Clark Kent, Batman needs to cultivate a frivolous playboy Bruce Wayne to throw people off his scent. Now we introduce a new but important element. A microwave generator has been stolen from Wayne Enterprises. Designed for desert warfare, it vaporises an enemy's water supply. This is more science fiction. But again, I'm okay with science fiction. This is still a superhero movie, after all. And that's what this movie does so right. You establish the silly elements of the story in a believable sensible way, and then you have room to suspect disbelief over things like this. I don't mind a little science fiction, in fact, I welcome it. What I don't want is silliness and cheese. That's why when people criticise the realism of elements like this, I think they're missing the point.   Bruce's appearance at the hotel, with the weird skinny-dipping ladies goes a good way to establishing Bruce as a frivolous playboy, the last person you'd expect to be Batman. Why those women decided to get naked and hop in the water feature I'll never comprehend. Maybe Bruce paid them to do so.   Bruce is willing to be seen in this light in order to protect his true self. But there's one person whose good opinion he doesn't want to lose. Rachel. He tries to tell her, without telling her. “Inside, I am more.” But she's not buying it. “It's not what you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you.” And this is a very thematic statement for the whole movie. I partially agree with what Rachel says here. While, I think we are defined by more than just what we do, What she's getting at is the whole idea of putting your money where your mouth is. You can have the best of intentions inside, but if your actions don't match your intentions, then those intentions aren't worth much, are they? It actually reminds me of James chapter 2 in the Bible. Faith without actions is dead.   Falcone wants Crane to get him off on the insanity plea, just as he has with his goons. But more than that. He wants in one whatever Crane and his mysterious boss are up to.   But this is the moment that Crane replaces Falcone as the primary villain. Crane gases Falcone and Falcone goes genuinely insane from whatever is in that gas.   It's obvious at this point, that Crane is the Batman villain Scarecrow.   And this is the moment it really becomes a comic book movie. Weird gas that makes people go crazy? But because everything has been established in such a grounded sensible way up until now, I'm willing to buy it, I mean fully buy into it.   We won't be seeing Falcone again. He's done with. But we've learned how sinister Crane is. He's doing experiments with his patients, using whatever was in that shipment Falcone brought him.   Bruce already knows some of the shipments went elsewhere. He wants to know where. He'll get it out of Flass. Which he does. Batman is a pretty effective interrogator. And Flass is a coward.   So he tracks the shipment to Crane. The shipment is what he uses to make that gas, not to mention the microwave generator. We see that the gas amplifies people's fears. Makes them see what they're afraid of.   Bruce jumps out of a window many stories up, while on fire. And miraculously survives the fall without even a broken bone. That's not realistic. I call valid criticisms on this moment. But the funny thing is, they have their explanation for that. The memory cloth can turn his cape into a glider. Why didn't this scene use that device?   Under the influence of the gas, Bruce becomes that scared helpless little boy again. He cries out to Alfred for help. And of course, Alfred is there for him.   Bruce recognises the hallucinogen. He's felt it before, but this is more concentrated. Weaponised.   Fox has invented an antidote.   Bruce is supposed to have a birthday party tonight, but Rachel is heading to Arkham Asylum to figure out what's going on with Falcone. And she's gonna need backup from Batman to keep her safe.   Why does Crane show Rachel the truth of his whole operation? I know he drugs her afterwards, but why show her what he's doing? He's pouring that hallucinogen into the city water supply.   Batman crashes the party and uses Crane's own gas on him. I love how he sees Batman as a weird human/bat hybrid creature. The gas allows this movie to do some crazy sci-fi/fantasy looking stuff that would otherwise not fit in a movie like this at all. And we learn that Crane's mysterious boss is none other than Ra's Al Ghul. But isn't he dead? Didn't he die when that temple turned?   Bruce calls in the bats presumably using pheremons to attract them, so he can get away wtih Racel, to give her the antidote. Not sure the bats would smell the pheromones from that distance, though.   This is when we first get to see the Tumbler in action. Bruce uses the bridging vehicle's ability to jump to his advantage.   There are a couple of moments of humour that work for me in the chase. It's a pretty cool action scene. Anyway, he gets Rachel to the cave in time to the cave, where Fox has left the antidote waiting.   Crane has dumped his entire supply of this stuff into the water supply. Been doing it for weeks. But it hasn't affected anyone because it needs to be absorbed through the lungs. So why dump it in the water?   Crane is in custody. Bruce uses Rachel to get the antidote to Gordon so he can protect himself and mass produce it.   Level 2 cleared. The final ultimate villain will soon be fully revealed.   Alfred is concerned that Bruce is losing himself in this monster. Bruce argues he's using the monster to help others. But this can't be personal or else he's just a vigilante.   The mansion is full of guests. Bruce wants to get rid of them. There's too much going on right now. Alfred doesn't want Bruce to destroy his father's name. It's all that's left of him. The playboy persona is one thing. But Thomas's legacy is important and shouldn't be tarnished. And, Bruce agrees, for now.   Fox figures it out. The microwave emitter would allow somebody to disperse the toxin into the air supply. He's just been fired for asking too many questions about it.   And now we meet the final boss. The true villain of this entire movie. Bruce is introduced to a Mr. Ra's Al Ghul. It's Ducard. He was Ra's all along. The man Bruce watched die was just a decoy.   Bruce wants Ra's to let the guests go. They're innocent. His only reply “You can explain the situation to them.” And so, in order to save their lives, he must offend them. Dragging his father's name through the mud. They'll never know what he sacrificed to save their lives.   Crane's toxin was derived from the blue flowers on the mountain. He wasn't a member of the league of shadows, just a pawn. Ra's plans to vaporise the toxin and watch Gotham tear itself apart. He said near the start of the movie that he planned to destroy Gotham. He was serious. The League of Shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. They sacked rome, released plague rats, and burned London to the ground. When a civilisation reaches the peak of decadence, they come in to return the balance.   But you can't fight evil with evil. They may think they're the good guys, but they've murdered billions of innocent people along the way. Bruce believes Gotham isn't worth saving. He wants more time. Ra's rgues the very fact they've been able to do what they're doing is proof of its corruption.   We're seeing here that everything from the start of the movie is coming full circle. It's almost poetic. I love it.   As his goons burn the mansion to the ground, Ra's drops another bombshell. They tried to destroy Gotham in the past, through economics. Create so much hunger that everyone becomes a criminal. See them rip themselves apart.   But Bruce's parents got in the way of that plan, by helping alleviate the poverty where they could. It was Ra's al Ghul who created the circumstances that lead to his parent's death. Falcone was only a piece of that.   We see here how alike Bruce and his father are. Both, in Ra's opinion, are misguided idealists trying to save the city that deserves to be destroyed. There's a lot of symmetry in this movie, and I love it.   Alfred saves Bruce from the burning house. Bruce feels he's destroyed everything his father left behind, but Alred reminds us what we've just learned. The Wayne legacy isn't bricks and mortar. It's that idealism that tries to save Gotham. Ultimately, Thomas failed, and now so has Bruce. And then that line from his childhood returns. “Why do we fall?”  “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”   I think Thomas would be proud to see what a fine father figure Alfred has become.   Ra's activates the microwave generator and the gas bursts out of the ground. Right under the narrows - the worst part of Gotham.   Fortunately, Gordon has the antidote.   Everything has gone to hell. All the riot cops are on the island already, and they've been affected by the gas. There's nobody left to send. And just as Commissioner Loeb says that, the tumbler bursts through the air behind him. That's a very effective shot. Love it.   The monorail follows the path of the water mains. They're gonna load the generator on the train and infect the entire city.   Batman is going into battle. He may die. Rachel at least wants to know his name. He replies with that same line “It's not what I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” And this, of course, has a double meaning. In one sense, it means, it doesn't matter what my identity is under this suit. It only matters that I'm trying to help. But, of course, by using that phrase, he's letting her know exactly who he is.   The shot of Batman gliding in like a giant bat and landing is awesome.   A lot of people are getting infected while Bruce struggles to catch the train. More with every metre. This brings us to the climactic fight scene. It's suitably tense. I like it. Gordon uses the tumbler to take out part of the monorail. It's interesting that ultimately he's the one that saves the day. Bruce is there to make sure Ra's doesn't go on to cause havoc another day.   And now we reach that controversial moment. Has Bruce finally learned to let go of his compassion? Ra's asks. “I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you.” Many people feel this is a betrayal of the “no-kill” rule that Bruce established for himself early in the movie. And strictly speaking, it is. Bruce is cutting that moral hair mighty thin.   But I don't see this as a negative to the movie. Bruce is a morally gray character. This is when he really steps into that. This is why he and Superman never get on, because they are different. Yes, Batman may be an idealist compared to the likes of Ra's al ghul, but he's not as cut and dry as Superman. And even Superman is forced into some of those gray areas, which I'm also fine with.   The train is stopped, and Ra's al ghul is finally dead. But there's still a lot of people out there who will need that antidote. A lot are gonna get hurt and killed before they get it. It's Batman. It's messy.   The next scene is very satisfying. The company went public, but Bruce bought up most of the shares through various charities and trusts. He's placed Lucious Fox in charge as the new CEO, the previous one, who fired Fox, is out.   Rachel comes to see Bruce, who she has newfound respect for. Bruce thanks her for giving him that first lesson that started him on his journey of transformation.   Now that she knows the type of man Bruce truly is, she's started to hope. They grew up as childhood friends, but there's a lot more between them than just friendship. They've loved each other for years, in some form. The movie probably could have done a better job of portraying that romantic undercurrent of their relationship, though. But there's a problem. Bruce has changed. He's a good man, but the real Bruce that she remembered is gone. Maybe he'll come back someday when Gotham no longer needs the Batman. And that line perfectly sets up the primary conflict of the next movie.   Bruce is going to rebuild his father's house, but it might be a good opportunity to do some work on the foundations.   The bat signal re-appears at the end. Gordon is going to use it when he wants to summon Batman. There's a lot of trouble still out there.  Gordon teases the villain of the next movie by mentioning a thief and murdurer who leaves a calling card - a joker.   And the credits roll.   This movie changed everything. It created a new era for DC comics movies, and started the journey that would eventually lead us to the Snyder Cut.   Without Batman Begins, there would be no Man of Steel. No Batman V Superman.   This movie presented a new way of portraying superheroes. They were no longer something to laugh at or make fun of. They were something to take seriously.   This movie made realistic, those things it could, which made the speculative elements all the more easy to accept. It was a perfect balance.   It's like Christpher Nolan reached into my soul and said “Let's create the perfect Batman movie for Adam Collings.”   There was a lot in this movie. Heaps to talk about. And there'll be plenty more to talk about next time, in a movie I've actually only ever seen once. The Dark Knight.   Have a great two weeks, Live long and prosper, Make it so.  

So here it is. My podcast on the final episode of Stargate Universe. Gauntlet. This was intended to be a season finale, but never a series finale. But with the tragic cancellation of the show after the end of season 2, there was nothing more to come. So how does this episode function as a series finale? Well, surprisingly well. At least, as a series pause. Grab a comfy chair and listen as I explain what I mean, as we delve one final time into Stargate Universe. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 91 of the podcast.  Today, we're talking about the final episode of Stargate Universe. “Gauntlet”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on Gateworld reads Cut off from every star and every planet in their path, the crew takes a stand against the drone command ships. Meanwhile, Eli comes up with an extreme plan to escape drone space for good.   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi (whose name I've apparently been mispronouncing for the last two seasons, sorry about that) and Paul Mullie. It was directed by Andy Mikita And it first aired on the 14th of May 2012.   It's with something of a heavy heart that I share with you my thoughts on Stargate Universe for the last time. This, of course, was never meant to be the final episode, just a season finale.   I'll talk about the premature cancellation of this show at the end, but first, let's take a look at the episode itself.   TJ is removed Park's bandages from her eyes. She's in good humour, jokiig about not having had this much rest in weeks. Greer stands faithfully by her side.   Park is hoping she'll be able to see now. She's looking forward to getting bleary eyes looking at data. She's been seeing occasional flashes of bright light. The moment she TJ tells her to open her eyes is the moment of truth. That's when she's gonna finally find out if she can see or not. It would be a nerve-wraking moment. I'd be hesitant, knowing that the moment I open my eyelids, I might have to face the worst. Until I open them, there's still the possibility I might be able to see. Right?   Sadly, after she opens her eyes, it's still dark. She can't see anything. She can't see the light TJ shines in her eyes.   Eli has found a way to track the done command ships by isolating the subspace frequencies they use to comminicate and plugging them into the ship's long range sensors. This means they'll be able to avoid them and find safe star systems to refuel next time we have to.   But the news isn't good. The drones are waiting at every gate between Destiny's current position and the edge of the galaxy. Eli sums it up effectively when eh says “we're screwed.”   On earth, Rush explains to Telford that going off the grid won't work. The seed ships have already done the legwork and found the needles in the haystack, and plotted a course for Destiny accordingly. So with drones at every gate, they have no way to get supplies.   They've got a month's worth of food. They could really use a supply line from Earth but the Langarans are still refusing to help. Woolsey continues to push diplomacy but he's not having much luck.   TJ doesn't know if Park's condition will improve. She should have shown some improvement by now. If they don't heal by themselves there's nothing more TJ can do. But TJ isn't really thinking about Park. She's thinking about her own death sentance.   It sounds like a horrible way to die. Eventually, she'll become fully paralysed, but her mind will still be active. She will have no way to interact with others. No way to express herself. She'll be a prisoner in a body that no longer works. That sounds like hell to me. Like, I can't imagine hell being any worse than that. It's horrific.   Rush is discussing the possibility of going on the offensive when they need to resupply. They choose a target, go throug hte gate, and take out as many as needed to get what they require. They have the advantage of surprise now that they can track the drones. And they still can't track us. He's actually got a pretty good idea for boosting the effectiveness of the shields. Destiny's shields rotate through various frequencies, because different energy weapons will use different frequencies. The closer the shields are to the frequency of the weapons, the easier it is for them to absorb the energy. But since they know they'll be facing the drones, they don'r have to guess. They just tuine the shields to the narrow band of frequencies that the drones use. I really like this. It's nice to get some techy details on how the shields work. It makes sense. You can design something to protect you from a known quantity. But Destiny was made to go out where nobody had explored. The ancients didn't know what races they might encounter, let alone what kinds of weapons they might have. So they had to invent shields that would protect the ship from unknown weapons not yet encountered. Rush has a clever plan, and it should help the ship to withstand attack in a significantly improved way.   They've plotted a course for one of the command ships. They going to try to jump in, take it out, and jump away again. That'll be one less command ship, at least.   We get a nice exterior shot which makes it clear just where in the ship the bridge actually is. It's right up the top of the big high-rise pyramid thing at the back.   Chloe is so good at plotting these FTL exists that they drop out right on top of the command ship, so close, in fact, that they scrape along its hull. Given the unimaginable vastness fo space, that's amazing.   The plan seems to be working. The drone weapons are having almost no effect. The command ship is smart. It realises immediately that the weapons are not working, so it instructs the drones to make kamikaze attacks against Destiny. And because the shields are tuned to that specific frequency, it can't stop them. They manage to destroy the command ship pretty easily, but they've taken a lot of damage from the drone collisions.  They've bought time to get some supplies, not that there was much on the planet.   Eli has a plan that could get them out of all their troubles. This galaxy has turned out to be a pretty rubbish place, infested with all of these drones. As Eli puts it, a hostile environment. So why don't they just skip it. Fly one continuous FTL jump to the nearest edge of this galaxy, and then on through the void to the next in the seed ship's path. Just the drones behind and try the next galaxy for size.   It's not a bad idea, but they have power issues, the distance between galaxies is a lot longer this time, plus damage to the FTL drive. So it'll take three years. How will they survive three years without food and water? We use the stasis chambers that Rush, Eli, and Brody found a few episodes back. They spend the next three years in cryogenic suspension.   The big problem with this, of course, is if they miscalculate the amount of power needed by the slightest fraction, they'll have to drift at sunlight the last bit, and that could take thousands of years.   Rush is convinced it's too risky. But Young orders Eli to make preparations. It's at least an option. He gives Rush 24 hours to come up with a better idea.   Camille wants to give everyone one last trip to Earth to say goodbye. That makes good sense, and it's a nice idea, but they'll have to be really quick about it. Every minute they delay this plan means they're losing more power.   Rush's real problem isn't so much about the margin of error. It's about the mission. The ship wasn't launched to arrive at some final destination where all the questions will be answered. It's meant to gather information bit by bit by bit as it travels. If they skip this galaxy, they might miss a vital piece of the puzzle. And I share his concern about that. It's a real worry. It could make the entire journey all for nothing. That's something Rush couldn't live with. And I wish I had a solution for him.   Chloe has some wise words for him, though. It boils down to this. If they stay, and Destiny is destroyed by the drones, then it really is over, and all for nothing. If they get out of this galaxy, even if the crew die, Destiny will go on, still searching for the answers it was created to find.   And so, the plan goes ahead. They're starting to put people into stasis. The Lucian Alliance are among the first. Makes sense. They were never meant to be part of this expedition anyway.   Eli goes home, via the stones, to say a quick goodbye to his Mum. The way he starts, “I just wanted to come and say goodbye” was not the best way to go about this. His mother will obvious jump to the wrong conclusion. Is he dying? Is this the last I'll ever see of him. I guess at least the trust is not as bad as any of the scenarios she's be imagining at that moment.   But, he plains it all to her. Eli feels really guilty about this. He feels that he's abandoned his mother. He thinks if he'd made different choices, she wouldn't be alone right now. But his Mum won't have any of that. Which makes perfect sense.   Any parent will tell you that they want their children to live a fulfilling life. Eli is seeing amazon things. Living an incredible life.  That's what we all want for our kids. Of course, there's still the pain. If one of my kids was as far away from me as Eli is from his mum, it would hurt. I'd miss them terribly. But I'd also be glad they were living an amazing life. Proud of them. The thing is, now that she knows the amazing things that Eli is doing, his mum is a much happier puerson. Her deep depression is gone. And she has friends in a similar situation. Friends like Sharon, who understand.   So, his mum asks him the one question, the only question that matters. “Are you happy?” And despite everything, he is. That's all she needs to hear.   That's good enough for her. This is such a beautiful scene.   But, Brody and Volker have found a problem. Wouldn't you know it?   The last section of pods have taken damage. Possibly before they even came on board. They can't bring those pods online. They're not gonna have enough for everyone.   They're 8 short.   In order to repair them, they'd need metals, alloys, from a planet that's seen a lot of meteor activity. They've found one. It had a gate. But it's locked out, because it's not hospitable to humans. The drones don't know what kind of planet humans need  to survive. They just know that planet has a gate. So there's a command ship there.   Even if Destiny survived the fight, they'd use up too much power. They'd never be able to make it to the next galaxy, which defeats the whole purpose of going.   Those 8 people won't be able to survive on the ship. The power needed for life support for 8 people would make them fall short. So….they need 8 people to commit suicide for the good of the rest? That's impossibly dark. I couldn't enact a plan like that. I couldn't even ask for volunteers. I just couldn't do it. Could those 8 people try to find a planet to settle on? Maybe, but the drones would find them and kill them anyway. Either way, it's suicide.   Park is really worried that Greer is going to volunteer to be one of the 8. And he admits, he might do it, but he wouldn't ask 7 other people to do it with him, and he doesn't think Young would either.    It's funny how my opinion of Greer has changed so much over two seasons. He's becoming one of my favourite people on the ship.   But Park has an idea.   Use a shuttle as a decoy, to draw the command ship away from the planet. Make it simulate a gate dial. While the drones are away, slip in an get the minerals they need. They can even ram the shuttle into the command ship and blow it up.   It's risky, but it's a good plan that coudl very well work. It's certainly better than asking 8 people to kill themselves. Greer's right. Young was never going to do that.   The command ship takes the bait. So they have a go.  I have to admit that watching that command ship explode as the shuttle collided with it brought a big smile to my face.   They got the supplies they needed.   Scott has to go say goodbye to his son. And it's hard.What do you say to a kid when he doesn't even know that you're his father? You're just a guy who pops around every now and then. His mother is a good person, but Scott is worried that she's not a good parent. It's a hard situation.   When Camille went back to say her goodbye, she told Sharon it wasn't fair on her anymore, and she should move on.  And that's a hard thing.   I see Corporal Barnes in a new way, now that I know she and Eli got married on Novus. I can't help but wonder, could anything happen between them in this timeline? I know that to an extent, they got together because they were kind of among the last few left that hadn't found anyone. But, they made it work. Maybe this version of Eli and Barnes could make it work as well.   During the montage of people saying goodbye and getting in to the pods, we see a shot of Park, in well…a park. It's raining, and she's crying. It took me a moment before the true impact of that hit me.  She's in someone else's body. She can see. This might be the last time she ever gets to see anything in her life.   There's a positive to all this. All the food they've collected, other than the non-perishables, like the canned goods, it's all gonna go to waste. So they might as well have a feast before they go into stasis. And I really like that they get to do that. For the first time in a very long time, they're full. Really fully. Of course, Greer can fit just a bit more in.   This is a really nice scene. It's a god moment to round off the show with. Our main cast are sitting around a table having dinner. Young makes a speech, acknowledging that they have become a family. They were far from that at the beginning of season 1, but now, yes. They're a family.  I love how Rush doesn't object to Young calling him the slightly mad uncle who still manages to come through for you. I like that Young and Rush have reached this place. There's no real conflict between them at the moment. There's a real camaraderie in this scene. I know this was written as a season cliffhanger, not a series finale, but this scene really works for its place as a final episode. I can't help but wonder if this scene was added, or modified slightly, when they knew it would be the last. It's an emotional sendoff. And honestly, it works as well as the poker game at the end of Star Trek The Next Generation.   The last of them are going into pods now. Chloe, Scott, Greer. Camille. TJ.  As the pods close, only Young, Rush, and Eli are left awake.   While Eli and Rush finish the automated programming for the ship, Young checks in with Telford. It's a shame they couldn't get Richard Dean Anderson for one last O'Neill cameo here, but in a way, it is more poignant that it's Telford. He's the one Young has all the history with.   He's not going to go say goodbye to Emily. Their marriage is over. And Telford tries to apologise, even though it was the Lucian Alliance programmed personality that cheated with Young's wife. Young stops him. His marriage was broken a long time ago. He has nobody to blame but himself. And while I grieve the loss of his marriage, I like the way he takes responsibility for it like this. It's nice to see thes men, who have been such bitter enemies in the past, now parting as friends. Telford promises they're not going to give up on the people on board Destiny. Another beautiful scene.   But, wouldn't you know it. There's still one final problem. They repaired those 8 pods, but one of theme was more damaged than the others. It came online, but has just died.   They're gonna be one pod short.   They can't fix it. If two of them go into stais, they'll have about 3 weks for that one last person to try to find a solution. To get the last pod working. Rush has vontunteered, but Young can't trust him. What if Rush really can't get it working. Will Rush sacrifice himself at that time for the rest of the crew? Can Young trust Rush to do that? They've put most of their conflict behind them, but there's still that doubt. And when push comes to shove, I can't tell Young that he's wrong. Rush is not a martyr. He's not a self-sacrificing kind of guy. He's selfish and he has a strong sense of self-preservation. Ould he do it? Would he kill himself so the rest could live? I can't guarantee that he would. I don't think even Rush can guarantee that honestly. He doesn't try to argue it.   Young is going to stay. He can't fix the pod, of course, but he'll sacrifice himself.   But Eli has another idea. He'll stay. If Young stays, it's automatic suice. If Eli stays, he has a chance. He's sick of staying in Rush's shadow. Being the reager young protoge. He's not afraid to say it anymore, and all three of them know it. Eli is smarter than Rush.   And that may well be true.   It's not fair. One of the most good-hearted people on that ship has to be the one that will very probably die. Young doesn't want this, but he knows it's the only answer.   Rush and Eli have a nice last scene together. Rush doesn't want Eli to be the one to volunteer. He doesn't say it often enough, but Eli has amazing potential, and they're going to need him on the other side. But as Eli says, “what the point of having potential if you're not going to step up when you're really needed.” And I can't argue with that logic. I don't think Rush can either.   I did laugh when Rush said “You've come a long way from that video game slacker,” and Eli says “You've been pretty much consistent.”   So Eli puts both Rus hand Young to bed. And there he is. Alone. On a space ship full of sleeping people. He turns out all the lights where they're not needed.   He shuts down the stargate.   This is all very symbolic of the show ending. Kind of like how JMS turned off the lights on the station in the final episode of Babylon 5.   But even more than it, it mirrors the pilot episode, when we first see Destiny, and all the lights are coming on, as we pan through the ship. It rhymes like poetry.   And so there he is ion the observation deck, looking out at the wispy blue of FTL.   The last man standing.   Eli gives a little smile as Destiny sails off into the distance.   I've heard some speculation about that smile. Is he just appreciating the wonder of where he is? Or does he have an idea? And idea that will change everything?   We don't know.   Probably the only person in the world who knows the truth is Brad Wright. I just hope he gets the chance to tell us some day.   And so there ends Stargate Universe. It sounds like Brad had some really cool ideas for season 3.   As cliffhangers that ended up being finales, it's not a bad way to go. The whole device of everything going to sleep for 3 years gave us hope.   I remember thinking, well, if they can get themselves sorted out, they can always come back and do anothjer season, or a movie, in three year's time. That'll be a real-time look at when they all should be waking up again.   How cool would that have been?   Sadly, those three years went, and became ten years. We still don't know what happened to the brave crew of Destiny. To Eli.   But Brad Wright had plans. I remember him posting online that while the show was over, he was still fighting for something that would let him bring closure. Not a new series. It was going to be a TV movie. SG-1 had enjoyed some good success with TV movies that went to DVD. He wanted to make one that would combine the casts of SG1, Atlantis and Universe, one big grand crossover adventure to try to bring the crew of Destiny home. Sadly, even that could not be greenlit. And so the story was lost to history.   So what happened? Why did this show really end? Was it the case, as I've heard some say, that SGU was cancelled because it sucked? Obviously, I don't think it sucked. It's my favourite Stargate series. But did it have lower ratings that SG-1 and Atlantis? Given that a lot of fans of the previous shows didn't like it, I'd have to say it probably did. But there was so much more going on at the time.   MGM was going into bankruptcy at the time. Stargate Universe wasn't the only thing cancelled because of this. They were dropping like flies.   And while the DVD movies had worked well for SG-1, the industry was changing. Direct-To-DVD was no longer a popular thing. Streaming was coming, but wasn't quite here yet.   Stargate Universe was this show trying to survive in this weird void between times, where everything was in flux.   In the end, I think this show was a victim of timing. The world just wasn't quite ready for it, in terms of audience expectations, but also in terms of how the industry was changing.   I will always grieve the loss of this amazing and wonderful show, but despite technically ending on a cliffhanger, I would heartily recommend people watch it. These two seasons give you a satisfying experience. It ends on a bitter-sweet moment, filling with questions, and uncertain hope. And that is perhaps fitting for a show with the tone that SGU had.   I'd like to say a huge thank you to the cast and crew of Stargate Universe, for making my dreams come true. Stargate Universe remains to this day, my favourite Stargate show, and one my my favourite sci-fi shows of all time.   So is there still hope of knowing more? With MGM recently having been purchased by Amazon, it seems likely, if not certain, that Stargate will return some day soon on Amazon Prime.   Will it be the in-canon continuation that we all hope it will be? I have to have faith and say yes. Brad Wright has a pitch. A new show with a pilot script. Joseph Malozzi has read it and says of it “The verdict? Fantastic. A perfect series for first-tiome viewers who know nothing about Stargate, but also a richly rewarding experience for longtime fans. Action, adventure, friendship humour, cool sci-fi, terrific characters, a compelling story - and one ulluva antagonist.”   There is a huge fan movement to convince Amazon Studios that they should continue with the existing canon of the last 3 TV shows, and use Brad Wright's pitch. And honestly, I think Amazon would be utter idiots to go a different direction.   They've got to know that this is what the fans want. So…we'll see.   Brad Wright has been open about the fact that if his new show gets greenlit, he will address the fate of Destiny, which makes me very happy.   So now…..we wait.   That was Stargate Universe. I hope you enjoyed myt thoughts on this series. I certainly enjoyed watching through it again and recording them.   So one question remains. What's next for Nerd Heaven.   Well….I want to cover the Dark Knight trilogy. So next time, we're going to start that by looking at my favourite solo Batman film of all time - Batman Begins.   After we've done these movies, we're going to be launching into a new series.   Star Trek Continues.   You may have heard of it. It's actually a fan-produced series, but doin't let that put you off. It's fantastic, and highly regarded by many, including Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Rodennbery, who says he considers it canon to the original series.   Basically, Star Trek continues gives TOS one final season, and also provides a big epic send-off, which the original show never had. I can't wait to delve into this show with you.   So, until next time, Have a great two weeks   Live Long and Prosper Make it so.  

We're at the second-last episode of Stargate Universe. In today's podcast, we delve into Blockade. A surprisingly good episode that I remembered little about. While the crew gate to a planet once settled and deserted by the descendant of the Novans, Rush, Eli and Park take Destiny on an extremely risky mission to recharge the ship, with devastating consequences. These drones are not letting up. It's all going to come to a head soon. Join me as we delve deep into Stargate Universe "Blockade" ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 90 of the podcast. Can you believe that? We're getting close to 100. When a TV show gets to their 100th episode, it's a big deal worth celebrating. I still feel like I only just started this podcast, and it's a relatively new thing.   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Blockade”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on gateworld reads   Destiny is attacked by drone ships while attempting to recharge its power reserves, forcing most of the crew to gate to a nearby planet while Eli tries a risky alternative.   This episode was written by Linda McGibney It was directed by Andy Mikita And it first aired on the 2nd of May 2011.   Eli is still immersed in the history of Novus. Rush doesn't get it. And he admits freely that he had no part of it. His counterpart wasn't there. He had no descendants. But to Eli, it's more than that. They were humans and they lived and died here in this distant galaxy.   And I love that he's adding footage of the descendants to his documentary. I agree wholeheartedly with Eli when he says that he thinks the documentary is important. Hey, I like to document and vlog my holidays. But a journey like the one they're on, that's so much more important.   The Collings Show on youtube, by the way, if you're interested in my travel vlogs.   They've arrived in a star system to refuel. I thought this was the system where they're taking the surviving descendants. But apparently not. The passengers don't show up or get a mention throughout the rest of the episode, so I'm assuming we've already dropped them off on their new world. Destiny is taking the long way around a gas giant for some reason. It clearly has a reason, the crew just don't know what it is. But the longer they take to reach the planet, the more their resources are going to be strained.   Now some bad news. There are drones with a command ship here in this system.   How did the drones know Destiny was going to be in that system? Was it coincidence or are they still tracking the ship somehow? They haven't been using the stargate so that's ruled out.   Maybe they're no longer tracking us, but maybe they can predict our path. So Rush suggests going off their usual course. They drop out of FTL a long way from the star so they'll have time to rebuild their ability to jump before they encounter any potential drones. They got lucky last time.   And guess what. There's drones here too. They've set up a blockade blocking us from the star.   Destiny has to recharge somehow.   They're blockading all stars they think Destiny might try to visit. Power is getting critically low. They only have one more chance.   The drones know Destiny's weakness. It has to recharge from certain types of stars. The only way to ensure there are no drones waiting is if they choose a star that Destiny would never go to. A blue supergiant. I'm not an astrophysicist but I can tell by the character's reactions this is a terrible idea. Volker is convinced the crew would never survive the heat given off by one of these stars. The plan is, leave most of the crew on a planet and a small team pilots the ship. They rely on shields and suits to survive the heat. Hopefully. It can't be fully automated because even if they could convince the ship to do this itself, the core AI systems would stop working at this heat.   There won't be a habitable planet near such a star, so they'll have to gate to a nearby planet, which, of course, will attract the drones.   So they'll have to be quick and get it done before they arrive.   It's an insane plan and it could go wrong in so many ways. But …. What other choice do they have? If they don't charge soon they'll be dead in space. And then they'll make a very tempting target to the drones.   Young makes it clear to Telford they've not asked permission. They're doing this. They don't have a choice.   The plants in the garden won't survive the star any more than people will, so they're gonna have to harvest everything.   I don't think Destiny is very happy about what they're doing. It locks them out of the bridge.   Rush, Eli, and Park are the ones who will stay behind. Park has some medications she wants to protect, and then she'll back up Rush, who, in her words, isn't as great as he thinks he is. It makes good sense since Park is the expert on the suits, as we saw back in early season 1.   When Young announces that Park is staying, we get some insight into Greer. He didn't try to talk her out of it. He has confidence that she'll be all right. In most stories, when someone wants to go into danger, the loved one argues passionately against it. And I get that. It would be very very hard for me to watch my wife put herself in danger like this. But in little ways, we trust our loved ones as they take all sorts of risks during day to day life. My wife is a nurse, and there's risk involved in that job. But I trust her that she has the training and the knowledge to handle it. But a risk like this is something else.   Rush has found a star. As they approach, the gate is dialled to a planet in rage. This is where we get a big surprise. The gate on the planet isn't in the middle of a deserted forest or desert. It's in a building. A big metal shed. It must have been built by the descendants. As Eli says “Holy crap, we dialled pittsburg.” I don't actually know what pittsburg looks like because I'm Australian, but it made me chuckle.   The place looks less advanced than Novus, and there's no sign of life. Due to isolation and different ideologies, it's entirely possible that colonies of Novus would advance at different rates.   But what happened to the people? But this town is a gold mine. They could find all sorts of medical supplies, food, weapons. The benefit is too great to ignore. It definitely outweighs the risk. Of course, the risk is impossible to assess right now because they just don't have enough information. But they make the right call to explore.   I've seen this episode multiple times in the past, but I don't remember this at all. Which is weird, because the discovery of the town on this planet is really cool, and ties in nicely with the previous two episodes that I loved so much.   Brody Makes a very interesting observation. There are paved streets, but no vehicles of any kind. Clearly, this world has cars. So where are they?   Rush and Eli have an interesting conversation. Rush wants to know “how they're gonna do this”. Eli has to push through his frustration to find out what Rush is really getting at. What he really wants to know is, who's gonna be the boss. Who will enter the course changes into the computer?  Naturally, given Rush's self-important ego, Eli assumed Rush would do it. But Rush is asking. So Eli volunteers. It's really hard to read Rush at that moment. If he doesn't trust Eli to do the job then why is he asking? Or is he trying to give Eli the push to step up and believe in himself? He has expressed some of that kind of desire in the past, he does see himself as a bit of a mentor figure to Eli in some ways.   Park is cutting it mightily close to get out of the atrium. And just as she's about to walk through the door, Destiny seals it. In fairness, the ship did give an auditory warning, but not much time to evacuate.   Eli tries to override the door to rescue her, but it's not working.  Rush seems open about the fact that they may have to let Park die. They don't have time for this. And as much as I want to disagree with him, I kinda can't. The entire crew are counting on them accomplishing their mission. In order to achieve that, at some point, Eli may have to stop trying to rescue Park and fulfil his other duties. It's harsh and it sucks, but that's the reality of their situation. Eli doesn't care and is ready to go down and try the door manually. So Rush has to force the issue by explaining the reality of the situation to her. “Eli is spending too much time trying to rescue you, more than we can afford.” She'd got her suit and there's a pool in the middle of the garden. If she's fully submerged, she should have enough protection from the star. Rush promises her she'll be okay. But is he telling the truth?   Meanwhile, Volker and Greer have found a diner, and there's more canned food in there. The labels are worn off, so it's a bit of a mystery what they are, or how old they are. But Greer's not worried. This makes me wonder what date system the Novans used. And would any used-by dates be meaningful to us even if they weren't worn off.   The crew had no way of knowing what year, or even what period of history, it was when they arrived on Novus. So using the Earth calendar would have made little sense. I imagine they started a new calendar. The day they arrived was the beginning of year 1. That would make it easy for our people. Given that the Novan culture started around 2,000 years ago, which is roughly when our calendar starts from, the year would be pretty similar to ours. Technically, this would be the year 2000. (assuming the 200 years wasn't an approximation) To Destiny's crew, it's 2011.   One of the crew finds an old Novan newspaper and shows it to Camille. The headline says attack. Firstly, I want to praise the fact that the props people spelled it without a c. A t a k. In reality, it's pretty unrealistic that the Novan survivors would speak contemporary English after 2000 years. Just think what the English language was like in the real world, 2000 years ago. English didn't really exist 200 years ago. It was brought to Britain by the Anglo Saxons in the mid 5th century. So let's just look at how English has changed in the last 1500 years. Have you ever looked at old english? Or listened to somebody speak it? It's unrecognisable as anything I'd call english. It's a whole other language. It kinda sounds alien and I find it a little creepy. It's really fascinating. Definitely worth a google.   Anyway, the language the descendants speak now, would be vastly different to what the drew of Destiny spoke when they first arrived on Novus. For the sake of storytelling, the show has ignored that, and fair enough. Stargate has been doing that since early SG-1. How many aliens we've never met have spoken english with no explanation at all.   But I do like that they at least acknowledge this concept by showing that spelling has changed. Not only that, the guy is having a little trouble reading the article. He can make the gist of it, but it's difficult for him. So while spoken English seems to be the same, at least for the descendants we found, written English has definitely changed. Maybe the people who lived on this planet changed their language more than those closer to Novus. Anyway, a big thumbs up for that detail. Very cool.   But let's talk about what the article actually means. The people on this planet were attacked. Young will shortly discover that half this city has been destroyed. And they'll spot a drone flying through the streets.   Now the drones may have just come here because they noticed the stargate use, but this is a single scout. IF they knew destiny's crew were here, they'd come in force.   It's very likely that the original inhabitants of this city were destroyed by the drones. And that's worrying. It means even without interference by Destiny's crew, the Novan descendants are at risk from these drones.   Morrison wants to run to one of the planets in range, which won't be in range of destiny. He starts dialling but James punches him out before the wormhole can form.  Still, that might have been enough to attract the drone's attention. Idiot.   It's all well and good seeing those drones flying through space, but there's something extra creepy seeing one of them flying above the rooftops in a planetary setting. And that noise they make. I don't normally notice sound design, but I'm really appreciating it in this episode.   Turns out, it's a lot quicker to take out a drone with a rocket launcher than it is to take it out with machine guns. Who knew?   When the team get back near the warehouse, TJ asks if there are any injuries. And JAmes says “Just Morrison. I broke his nose.” TJ doesn't ask any questions. She just smiles. I love that. We haven't seen a lot of Morrison in this show, but what we have seen makes it pretty clear he's the kind of guy whose nose a lot of people would like to break.   I like the visual effect of Destiny flying into the blue giant star. I know it's just CGI, and pretty average by today's standard, but with the loud whooshing sound, and then cutting to the control room with the shaking camera and the actors in their suits. I dunno, I really got the sense of the danger.   Eli is starting to worry that Destiny locked out the dome because it knew it wouldn't be survivable in there. Rush admits he had considered that possibility, but still maintains PArk should be okay as long as they both focus on doing their jobs.   The scene where Park makes her way to the pond is really tense. The lighting is very bright, to show how much light and radiation is coming through that dome. And there's a bit of a heat haze effect on the footage too, which is very effective. But the anxious heavy breathing that the actress does as she desperately tries to survive is what really sells it. The music really adds to this too.   As we get another beauty shot of Destiny flying through the star, we see the shields fritzing on and off. That's the kind of effect you might often see in sci-fi but in this case, we know what that means. We know how vital that shield is to keeping Park alive, not to mention Rush and Eli. Every time that shields drop out, my throat gets a lump in it.  They get closer.   The plants in the dome start to burn up. And the water in the pod is bubbling around Park. She's hiding in boiling water. That's intense. How long before it all evaporates?   Apparently, when shooting this scene, the helmet was filling up with water. So Jennifer Spence had to do the scene as long as she could, and then stand up, remove the helmet, and let the water out so she could breathe. It must have been pretty scary, but the stunt coordinator got her through it, helping her realise she was in complete control.   What I love about all of this is that it's giving us real stakes and real tension. We don't know at this point if Park will survive or not. We don't know how honest Rush was being about her chances. We know this show isn't afraid to kill off semi-regular characters like Park. They've done it before.   They really are giving us a bit of a treat in terms of exterior ship visual effects in this one.   You can see the dome filling with fire. And then the glass shatters. And the water is gone. And park is being sucked out, holding on to the edge of the pond for dear life. And inside that helmet, she's screaming.   They make it out of the star. It's done. They made it. They can start cooling the gate room so the crew can return. But that's when Rush noticed that the hydroponic dome has been breached. No point trying to hide it from Eli. Eli runs.   Back on the planet, we learn a little more of the history of the attack from the newspaper. They moved the stargate to a less technological part of the city, and they drove all their vehicles out of the city to try to lead the drones away and save as many as possible. I wonder where they went. One of the other planets in range, I guess.   Young didn't find any food or guns, but he did get some clothes from a dry cleaner. And while Camille's desire for a new outfit sounds comedic, it's not so silly. Clothes ARE going to wear out. And unless they all want to become nudists, which I don't think would be a good idea, they're going to need new options. So it makes sense to grab some while they're here.   Eli is relieved to hear that Park is still alive. The atmosphere has been vented and she's near the door. She's not out of the woods yet, but she hasn't been killed by the heat of the star.   Now that they're through the star, Rush can override the door. It opens. Eli pulls her to safety. Jennifer Spense gives a great performance as she lets all of that emotion out. It's not just the fear that she's just been through. She can't see. She's been blinded by the experience. The way she cries, it churns me all up inside and makes me just want to give her a hug.   The most important thing is that Park has been saved. But there has been a loss. All the plants in the dome. Some of them were medicinal hybrids they may not be able to recreate. But they at least have stores of seeds so they should be able to start the vegetables again from scratch.   They have a scheduled time when they're supposed to dial back to Destiny. It's ten minutes too soon, but the drones are at the door. So they dial now. We know the ship is through the star. Let's hope Rush has succeeded in cooling the gate room enough for them to survive.   As the wormhole engages, a giant alien ship descends on the city. Is that a command ship or something bigger? Either way, it's creepy as hell. Especially when it makes that noise.   As the crew comes back through the gate, Rush tells TJ there's a patient waiting. Greer overhears.   The mission has been a success. Eli was brilliant. And Rush is seriously impressed. He just doesn't want Eli to know he said that. And I think that's so stupid. Eli probably needs to hear that. I know I would. In this life, we are bombarded with so many negative messages. So many of us spend most of our lives doubting ourselves. To know that somebody believes in us, that they think we did a good job. Hearing those words is gold to a wounded soul. And most of us have wounded souls. Why do we have this embarrassment about praising people? We need to get over that. We really do.   But we have to face a difficult reality check. It worked this time, but we won't be able to fool the drones the same way again, and those blue stars are pretty rare. The ship is recharged for now, but it's not gonna stay that way. AT some point, they're going to need to recharge again.   What will they do when that day comes?   That's the question that will take us into the next episode - the show's season finale, and the last show ever produced.   This was another fantastic episode. We remember the big moments., Twin Destinies, the Novan two-parter. The finale. But we don't always remember the episodes in between. This was an episode in between, but it was really good.   And that stuff with Doctor Park - that was really intense. The writers could very easily have killed her off. And where would that leave Eli and Rush? Where would that leave Greer and Rush?   I think Rush was lying when he assured Park she'd be okay. I'm not saying he believed she'd die, but he wasn't certain. There was a chance, but he had no idea if it would work. Luckily, she did survive. But she's lost her sight.   And yet, I'm still faced with the uncomfortable realisation that Rush probably did the right thing. They had to do those calculations. They had to get the ship through the star. They didn't have time to keep messing with the door. They probably wouldn't have succeeded.   I like when shows put our characters in difficult situations like this. But I'm sure glad I'm not in one of those situations.   I'm starting to feel sad about getting to the end of Stargate Universe. And feeling again the pain of this show's cancellation.   One episode left. I guess I'll see you next time as we discuss Gauntlet.   In the meantime, have a great two weeks.   Live long and prosper.   Make it so.

We continue this two-part arc was Destiny arrives at Novus - the planet where their alternate timeline counterparts founded a new civilisation 2,000 years ago. I love this episode. In the present, we get to see our heroes digging through the ruins of their descendant's civilisation like archeologists, and in the past, we watch as our heroes slowly form a new society. It's all good stuff. So let's dig in to Stargate Universe "Epilogue". ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd. This is episode 89 of the podcast Today, we're talking about  the Stargate Universe episode “Epilogue”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on Gateworld reads While attempting to return a group of colonists to their home, the crew finds records of their own alternate lives -- and a planet on the verge of seismic destruction.   This episode was written by Carl Binder It was directed by Alex Chapple And it first aired on the 25th of April 2011   We open with a very elderly Colonel Young in his deathbed. Chloe sits by his side, and his grown son Steve approaches.   Then we cut to present day. The shuttle is landing in a big city square, which features a statue of Young.   It's so ominous seeing this very familiar modern-day type city covered in ice and ash. Completely deserted.   They've found an underground bunker. It's possible somebody might have survived down there. But how do they get in? They gonna try using Destiny's weapon on low power. It works. They gain entrance and even find that there's still working power in the facility.   It's nice to know that bad elevator music is a constant throughout the entire universe. Although, to be honest, lifts don't tend to play music here in Australia. I'm not sure I can think of one time I've been in one where it's happened. But I get the concept.   Anyway, it's a mildly amusing moment.   In the bunker, they find an archive. The entire history of the Novan civilisation. Eli hopes they'll find answers to exactly what happened.   What they find is kind of remarkable. A 2,000 year old recording of the first moment the twin-destiny crew arrived through the gate and found that they weren't on Earth. It looks like they're surrounded by a sand storm. Not a very hospitable place.   Imagine having something like this. A video record of the exact moment that your civilisation began. The moment your ancestors first walked on the surface of your planet. It's like finding footage of their equivalents of Adam and Eve.   But while Eli is geeking out over the history, Rush is more concerned over life-support supplies, like more Lime. They haven't found any of that yet, but there are a lot of food supplies. Canned goods. That is huge. I can't overstate how important and useful this is. Imagine going two years with nothing to eat but alien vegetables that taste so bad it almost makes you vomit. And then you find a supermarket. This will greatly improve their chances of surviving, but also be a massive boost to morale.   Turns out, the planet they first appeared on wasn't Novus. But there were several gates in range. They explored and one of the worlds they found was Novus. The green trees and blue sky would certainly be a welcome sight after the caves where they sought refuge from the sandstorm.   When Park remarks on how they documented everything, Yaozu says “It is easier to know where you are going when you know where you have been. Eli Wallace.”   And I just love that. Any time Eli gets credit and appreciation for his space vlogging is gonna get a big thumbs up from me.   It took me a moment to realise why Yaozu was being a little weird around Brody. I was thinking maybe he thought it insensitive that they wanted to upload the data without acknowledging the pain of the Novans losing their world. And then the episode reminded me that Brody was the founder of the opposing nation.   And again, Valko is still giving him a hard time about the name Futura. Give it up Volker. We get it. You think the name is stupid. Shut up and move on!   I love how Chloe has found a bunch of science and maths textbooks all written by Eli. Of all the scientific minds on that ship, he, more than anyone else, would be the one to want to preserve that knowledge for the next generation. Rush, would see the value, of course, but to actually sit down and explain science in a way that kids could understand? No, he wouldn't do that.   But she's also found her own diary. That's gotta be weird   In the next flashback, we see the beginnings of Brody's dissatisfaction with everyone. He's specifically angry at Eli. It was Eli's calculations that got them stuck on this planet. The fact that he agreed with Eli's calculations seems to be irrelevant to him. But that's fine. This is an emotional reaction, not a rational one. And that's completely believable given their situation.   Meanwhile, Scott has found some nasty animal life, so they're gonna need walls around their city. It's like they're playing a real-life game of Civilisation.   I love watching this episode. I love fantasising about being one of them, settling a new world. Building a new civilisation. In reality, it would suck, of course. But fantasies are not meant to be realistic. I'm not saying the portrayal of the show isn't realistic. Just my desire to be among them, and conveniently ignore the harsh realities.   I'd actually watch an entire show about this. The people who have to build a new life on an alien world. But then, I kind of have seen that show already. It's called Terra Nova. And rather than an alien planet, it was the distant past, with dinosaurs. It only ran for one season, despite its popularity, because it was expensive to produce. It was shot here in Australia. But if you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend Terra Nova. Seriously, check it out. I may even cover it on the podcast someday.   6 weeks in, they have their first death. It's Volker. Probably his kidneys, but without any medical equipment, she can't be sure. And that's one of the big harsh realities. It might be fun to plan out where in the forest you're gonna found your city, but having to go back to the stone age, medically speaking, that's horrific.   Volker is there looking over Chloe's shoulder as she reads about his funeral. How weird would that be? He looks pretty confronted by it. It's not his future, of course, but it's a sobering reminder that he has a medical condition that is difficult to manage so far from Earth.   Young, of course, is beating himself up over this. TJ tries to encourage him. And that's when they finally allow their prior feelings to come back out again. They'll be trapped on this planet for the rest of their lives. He's divorced from his wife now. So there seems little reason for them not to pursue it all.   Keep in mind, Varro is on the planet with them. I wonder how he's going to react to TJ choosing Young over him.   They've got a shuttle-load of supplies they're sending up to the ship. It's funny. As horrible as all this was for the crew in the previous timeline, the whole twin destiny thing has been pretty good for the crew in our timeline. This is the second time we've managed to benefit heavily from supplies left by that crew. First Destiny itself, and now all this stuff left behind by their ancestors.   Eli has figured out what happened to the people. Many of them escaped through the stargate before it was buried in lava by a volcano, but those that remained needed another way off. Both countries realised they stood a better chance working together, so they built huge ships together. But they weren't capable of FTL.   They set off for one of the planets they'd previously sent expeditions to. Destiny could get there in a few days but it'll be a 200-year journey for the Novans. I guess they figured out cryogenic stasis. So that's good news. There are survivors. They didn't all completely die out.   Back in the past, Scott finally works up the guts to talk to Lieutenant James about their past, and how he used her up and threw her away. The reason - he's getting married to Chloe. James, for her part, is surprisingly forgiving. I guess she moved on a long time ago. Anyway, nice to see these two finally put it all to rest.  But I wish, instead of just saying “Y'know, we never talker” he could have said, “I'm sorry.”    Anyway, during the ceremony, Varro gives James a look. So I think she'll be okay.   A lot of this history is about people hooking up. But that kind of makes sense. They're a community of people living on a planet now. They kinda need to perpetuate the species if they're going to survive. So marriage and children is an important part of Novus's history.   Eli actually remarks on this in one of his kino vlogs. Every else is getting together. Except him.   Chloe is pregnant. Scott is building them a house. They have a bit of a township going on now. They have what look like stables.   I laughed at the montage of various children being born. Rapidly cutting from one screaming face to another. Chloe, TJ, James, and Park are all now mothers. The tribe is growing. Park is with Greer, obviously.   Eli is truly happy for all of them. But still feeling very lonely and left out. And then Corporal Barnes sits next to him. Cut to Barnes giving birth to their first child. The editing of this section of the episode gives us some great comedic storytelling.   But the best bit is when we see Eli and Chloe watching this vlog together. And Chloe says “Something worth pursuing.”   Barnes is a character that is sometimes around, but we really don't know much, if anything, about her.   The one person who hasn't hooked up is Camille. Not because she can't find anyone, but because she already found her soul mate, back on Earth.   Park has discovered that the black hole theory is right. The planet will soon be torn apart. They may have to leave before they've got all the data uploaded.   They've found one of those ships that the Novans built. It's still in the factory on the planet. It never left. That's convenient. If it's operational, it could take the entire group of descendants.   TJ has made a disturbing discovery. Her counterpart developed a disease she was pretty sure was ALS. I always thought ALS was just what Americans called MS, but according to Google they're two similar but different conditions. Which is interesting, because I don't think I've ever heard Americans talk about MS, and you never hear about ALS here in Australia. Either way, it's a pretty horrible thing. And it's really scary for TJ. It means she will develop a deliberating disease in her future. It could be a few years away. It's not something you contract. She's carrying it in her right now. And there's no cure. And that really sucks   I actually lost an aunty to MS. It's a horrible thing. As interesting as it is for them to see what their other versions of them got up to, it can be kind of disturbing. In some ways, you're better off not knowing.   TJ has about 5 years before she'll start displaying symptoms. She'll die a few years after that. Volker is looking in the ship's database to see if the ancients had anything in there about this, or similar conditions.   The scenes of Young nursing and caring for his wife to her eventual death are heartbreaking. But then there's some good news. The Novans had a cure for ALS and many other diseased. Developed over 200 years ago. It's in the archive.   But some bad news, the spaceship factory is now a river of lava. So everyone is gonna have to cam back onto Destiny. How long will the air filtration system hold out?   Rush has found something interesting. Some kind of foam. He's keeping pretty quiet about what it is, but he certainly seems to think it's important.   Back in the past, while most of the crew are enjoying being grandparents, Camille is drafting a constitution. Their fledgling township is becoming a nation.    And Brody is turning into a grumpy old man. He hasn't broken away and founded Futura yet, but he's cranky and doesn't appreciate the kids running on his lawn.   For various technobabble reasons they can't search the database until it's finished uploading, or they stop the transfer. They've uploaded a third of the data so far. They might have it, they might not.   But they're gonna have to leave soon.   The bunker is falling apart around them. The ladder is coming apart as they climb it. Varro helps TJ but falls in the process. They have to pull him up. Fortunately, he's alive.   On his deathbed, Young apologises that he never got them home. Chloe tells him what is obvious at this point. They are home.   Rush finally reveals that the special foam he found is for C02 scrubbing. Their problems have been solved. Much more effective than lime. It'll last for years. Volker has an interesting remark for Rush. It burns you up that we did okay without you. He's probably right. They'll be dropping off their descendants on a nearby planet shortly.   Eli hasn't found the ALS cure in the data they were able to upload. Nothing in Destiny's database either. It's hard because different cultures have different names for diseases, but it doesn't look good.   Still, this is sci-fi. There's lots of other medical knowledge they can learn from. They can figure out a cure. That's what Eli believes.   I love how Eli's grandson has named the school after him. Eli is gone now, but one crew member remains alive. Camille.   The makeup job making her look really old is pretty great. I was quite moved listening to her speak to the descendants of her friends. Seeing how proud she was of the civilisation they'd created.   The final shot of the townscape changing over the centuries is a fitting end to the episode.   I really enjoy this one. I think it might actually be my favourite episode of season 2. Joseph Malozzi mentioned in his blog that this episode actually would have made a great finale for the show, and I agree, but at the time, they planned Gauntlet as a season finale, not a series finale.   Two left to go. It's time to see how our heroes will deal with those drones.   I'll see you next time for Blockade.   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper.   Make it so  

This episode begins a two-part arc that may just be my favourite plotline in Stargate Universe. Running from the drone ships, Destiny finds a planet populated by a settlement of humans. These humans claim to be the descendants of the crew of Destiny, their civilisation founded 2,000 years ago. This episode covers a lot of ground and has a very interesting structure. Let's dig into Stargate Universe "Common Ground." ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd. This is episode 88 of the podcast Today, we're talking about  the Stargate Universe episode “Common Descent”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on Gateworld reads Destiny comes upon a colony of humans who claim that their civilization was founded two thousand years earlier ... by Destiny's own crew.   This episode was written by Robert C. Cooper. It was directed by Peter DeLuise And it first aired on the 18th of April 2011.   We're really in the home stretch of Stargate Universe now. This episode and next episode form a little two-part arc, and then the final two episodes round off the season arc.   I'll warn you in advance that I may be doing a lot of gushing over these next two podcasts. I love this episode and the next one.   Remember the CO2 scrubbers that were failing back in the pilot episode Air? Well, some of them on one of the decks are failing, resulting in headaches and nausea for the crew who sleep in that section.   I like how TJ immediately reports the unusually high number of people with similar symptoms all in the same area. There could be a cause which presents a bigger problem than just the medical one. Fortunately, Brody is already onto it.   They're still allowing Destiny to follow its own predetermined course, for the most part. They can control the ship if they have to, but the rest of the time they let it do its thing. It's just dropped out of FTL and there are two planets with stargates in range. One of them looks promising. Destiny is still helping them find the supplies they need.   When Eli meets Chloe and Camille in the observation deck, Chloe talks about how she hopes they find some of the purple fruit they discovered recently. Interesting that you'd expect to find the same fruit on multiple planets. I wouldn't expect that to be likely. Voyager did the same kind of the with Leola root being common to many planets in the delta quadrant.   Anyway, like most edible plant life in this part of the universe, they tasted terrible, but Chloe and Camille share a knowing look. Apparently, they were good for something else. But they're not gonna let on what that was to Eli.   That's when Chloe spots something out the window. Drones. Our old friends. We haven't seen them in a while, but last time we did, they nearly destroyed the ship. As they come into range, they open fire immediately.   So that's not good.   One would assume the crew have been practising operating the ship in a combat situation since last time. They seem to be doing a decent job flying and shooting. Greer is actually getting pretty good at it.   Scott detects the command ship. It's on an intercept course.   They're keeping distance between them, but they won't be able to keep it up until it's time to jump. That'll burn out the engines.   Young and his crew had assumed they were out of drone space, and Rush still believes this, so it seems the drones are actively pursuing Destiny. They may have tracked us using the re-programmed drone that got the crew out of their last encounter. They destroy it, but that'll only help after they make their next jump, assuming that really is how they were tracking us.   Rush thinks the damage they'll suffer from jumping early is a greater risk than the damage they'll suffer from the next attack.  Which just goes to show how bad an idea it really is to jump early. Something you only do in the most dire of circumstances.   This episode is our first indication that the drone problem really is going to be a bigger issue than just that two-parter in the middle of the season.   As the command ship comes into range, we see a huge swarm of drones. They're not gonna make it.   Except they do. Rush boosts the shields and they make it until the timer runs out. They jump.   As Eli says, they're lucky they're still alive. There's a lot of repair work to do. Destiny is not going to be able to survive continual attacks like that one. So let's hope the drones no longer have the ability to track Destiny.   They must have been travelling for quite some time, because Destiny wants to drop out of FTL again, near a planet. This presents a bit of a dilemma. Young is inclined to override Destiny and keep going. Just to be sure they can get far away from those drones. And I get that. When you're being chased by something scary, the last thing you want to do is stop running and stand still. But that's a very emotional response. It's actually Brody who is looking at this a little more logically. They need lime for the CO2 scrubbers. It's safe to assume Destiny has found some on this planet, which is why it wants to stop. They've dealt with the worse of the repairs. And as Rush says, if they don't stop soon, they're gonna have trouble breathing.   There are no drones immediately on sensors. The planet seems relatively inhabitable. At least this time they're not searching for lime in a dessert.   Space exploration has always been an important part of the Stargate franchise.  But you know one of the big things I like about SGU, there really is a sense of going where no one has gone before. In SG-1 and Atlantis, they were travelling to planets populated by humans, who had been placed there by the Goa'uld, or the Ancients. But here, in Stargate Universe, we're in the deep distant reaches, where no human, or any other race known to humans, has ever been. Not even the ancients. There's a real sense of wonder I get from that. But it's a spine-tingling, cold almost scary kind of wonder. It's hard to describe, but I think it's cool.   However, as I say that, who should run out of the forest, but two human beings. At least, they look human,   And they understand and speak English. But even more surprising, the young woman says “I know you. You're Matthew Scott.”   Okay.   When Scott demands to know how they know our names, the male says “You're the ancestors.”   They claim that their civilisation was founded 2,000 years ago by the crew of Destiny. They have historical Kino footage, which is how they recognised Scott and Greer. The logical conclusion here is that the ancestors were the alternate timeline crew from Twin Destinies. The time anomaly sent Destiny itself back a few hours, but the wormhole itself may have sent the crew back thousands of years. So why didn't they arrive on Earth in the first century? We know the wormhole was connected to Earth because Telford made it through. Remember that when a stargate gets impacted by a solar flair, not only does it travel through time, it also loops back on itself, so you come back out the source gate, not the destination. And since there was no Destiny there 2,000 years ago, Rush theorises that it simply connected to a nearby gate in the network. A gate that had already been placed by a seed ship far in advance of Destiny. 2,00 years ahead of it in fact. That's not too unbelievable. I mean, we know that Destiny will just plod along at sublight until it reaches a star to recharge, if necessary. If that ever happened in the past, Destiny could easily have fallen back a few thousand years behind its furthest seed ships.   Eli seems to be the only one who sees this as super cool. As he says “Don't you at least want to know how they survived and developed as a society?” I know I sure as heck would. Chloe rekons Eli played too much Sim City as a kid, but I'm with Eli. Chloe, Young, TJ and the rest have no poetry in their souls. I'd want to know every little thing about this society's history.   But Rush has to remind everyone why they came to this planet in the first place. They need lime. Jason and Eli can probably help them find it.   The crew are subjected to some hero-worship, which has got to be a little uncomfortable, if flattering.   Jason and Ellie don't understand how their ancestors can be here alive, but they mention their testament said that Destiny might return someday. The other Eli probably theorised about what had happened, and his words may have taken on sacred, almost religious importance.   This planet is not where they first established their civilisation. That was on a planet called Novus. This group came here as part of an expedition to try to find other viable worlds. But one day something happened and they couldn't dial Novus anymore. They think it was likely destroyed in an earthquake. And with no other gates in range, they were stuck here. That was 30 years ago.   These settlers have tents, radios and soccer balls. But no permanent buildings, it seems. You'd think that over the course of a generation they'd build some houses.   Camille is chuffed that the leader of this tribe has the same name as her father. It's nice to know that their descendants have finally managed to find palatable food and drink.   Eli wants to get his hands on the testament. How cool would it be to just sit down in a nice library for a few days and just read through it all. I'd be up for that in heartbeat.   We learn that Novus had a population of millions, and it was pretty advanced technologically. But it was facing some kind of natural disaster. There was a lot of political tension around the issue, as you can imagine, but it turns out there were two countries on the planet, each with a different political philosophy.  Tenara believed in the testament, which some of them wrote. The name means “The land of the Young” in ancient. The other group blamed alternate Eli for what happened. They thought Rush was still on board Destiny and would one day come and rescue them. He became a saviour figure. They broke off and formed a country of their own. Futura. Brody was one of them. He came up with the name.   They have some of the old footage on a data port compatible with Destiny. The original Kinos that first housed that footage are viewed like the Dead Sea Scrolls. Which makes perfect sense to me.   Rush seems to lack the enthusiasm everyone else has for all of this. But then, he doesn't have any descendants down there. His counterpart never made it to Novus.   When Jason and Ellie meet Rush on the bridge, they bow their heads, but apparently, it's not in reverence. Some of their descendants have come to believe that Rush was a demon who would drag their souls down to hell. And when Park remarks on how some things get twisted and exaggerated, Volker says “and some don't” which I found amusing.   But many Futurans worship Rush like a god, which I'm sure Rush would be thrilled about. We're treated to some footage of Eli showing where they're going to break ground building their town. He also explains the history of how the planet got the name Novus.   The settlers have helped the crew get the supplies they need and now they have a request. “Take us home to Novus.” They know the gate won't dial, but they don't know exactly what happened to their world. What state is it currently in?   These guys were sent out to create a colony, but with the expectation of help and support from the homeworld. Since they were cut off, they've had to make do on their own, and they're barely surviving.   Goodness, that all sounds familiar. Seems the Destiny crew have a lot in common with their descendants.   Eli and Camille feel they have a moral duty to help these people, which I would agree with. But Young points out they can't take that many people on Destiny. Eli has figured out the location of the planet. The trip will only be about a week. But with that many people on board, the lime they got here will be running out by the time they get there. If they can't secure more lime on Novus, they're finished. And that's not a risk Rush wants to take.   The people of Novus might be advanced enough to help them get Destiny back into a fully working condition, or, they could all be dead.   The theory, 30 years ago, was that a rogue black hole was approaching the system. The tidal forces could rip it all apart. But that process could have taken hundreds of years. And all of this was happening in the early eighties. Crazy. While I was a pre-school kid here on Earth, the Novans were looking for a new homeworld.   And there's another problem. The drones. In all the excitement, we'd kind of forgotten about them, hadn't we? That's actually how this episode started. The last thing they need right now is a drain on their resources. So… what's the alternative? Say “no thanks” and let their descendants, possibly their only remaining living descendants, just slowly die on this planet?   Young has a good compromise. The planet is close. They go there and investigate the planet and see what's up. Maybe they can repair the gate and then the settlers can get there without the ship.   It seems a reasonable first step to me.   Another clip from the Kino footage shows TJ giving birth to the first baby born on Novus. I love how Eli practically has tears in his eyes as he says it. It seems those versions of TJ and Young got back together and started a family.   They had a boy, by the way.   Then there's a big jump ahead. The town is well established. There are wooden structures that don't look too dissimilar from what you might see in an American frontier town in a western. It seems Eli has a child too. His only regret is that his mother will never know how they turned out, or get to meet her grandson.   A much older Young is giving a speech. This is the time when the Futurans broke off and formed their own country. Young seems pretty magnanimous about it all. But he talks about how the early days were hard, but it brought them closer together. They've build a life they can all be very proud of.   Eli still thinks Young's plan isn't enough. They should be taking everyone on board now. He hoped showing Young the footage would convince him of that.   So what are they going to do if they reach Novus and the gate can't be repaired, or there's nothing there to go back to?   Will they return here and help these people find some other home? Will they at least go back and tell them what they've learned?   It seems Young is offering no promises on that front. And that, I think, is what is really bothering Eli and Camille.   The leader of this world sadly observes that the Futurans were wrong at all. Destiny didn't come back to help them. If they'd known this sooner, they could have avoided generations of conflict over the question.   And that's when the drones appear. Not just in orbit, but flying through the atmosphere of this world.   That's a problem. Because if they leave the settlers here, they'll die.   There's only one option now. They all evacuate through the gate, as the drones blow the settlement to pieces.   Destiny is also under attack.   Young allows the settlers to evacuate. Good thing he has a heart after all.   Rush doesn't know how the drones found them.   Scott and Greer manage to destroy the drones, but the gate has a big chunk out of it. They're not getting off this planet that way.   Young has no choice. Destiny jumps.   Eli, Scott, Greer and Camille are stranded on the planet with the remaining settlers. Ellie asks an uncomfortable question. Why would the drones come here? And that's our fault. Destiny brought them here. So …. Rather than bringing salvation, Destiny's return has brought destruction and ruin. Boy were those Futurans wrong.   Eli and Rush have both come to the same conclusion. The drones are tracking Destiny via the gates. An active Stargate is a massive subspace event. The drones can detect that event.   There are other settlements on the planet. Jason and Ellie run off to warn them, but it's probably already too late.   This means that as long as they don't use the gate, they should be able to hide. They'll have to use the shuttle to get supplies from planets.   Young agrees with Rush that it's too dangerous to risk going back for everyone else. But…..if they don't use the gate, then the drones shouldn't be able to track them. I'd be buying a little time to get the drones off the scent and then going back, personally.   Eli may have found a way to get a signal out to Destiny. Stargates have a transmitter. They communicate updates with one another and send status to destiny. So far, all Eli can do is turn it on and off, but that's all they need to tap out an SOS.   I kinda wish they'd all give Brody a break. Yeah, I don't think Futura is the greatest name, but do they have to keep mocking him for that? The answer, by the way, is no. They don't. It's getting a bit old and I'm kind of annoyed on Brody's behalf. I think this is possibly meant to be funny? I'm not sure. But it reminds me of the kind of humour you sometimes see in old DC comics, where everyone makes fun of Aqua Man because he's the butt of all their jokes. And similar nonsense between Superman and Batman.  I hate that kind of humour, and really don't understand why people find it funny. If you do, then great. But it does nothing for me.   Anyway, they're overjoyed when they see that shuttle in the sky.   As they near the planet, speculation is rife. As usual, Eli is the voice of optimism. Their descendants have to be there. We passed down all our knowledge to them. But, as TJ points out, they passed down some of their disagreements too.   The shuttle descents toward Novus. There are no radio signals, which is odd, given they were advanced. They're passing through a layer of particulate matter. Dust and Ash. That's ominous. It's very cold down there. A nuclear winter?   They see a huge modern city. But it's completely deserted. It seems the ash came from a supervolcano and it produced conditions similar to a nuclear winter. There's nobody alive down there. So….where did they go? Are they all dead?   We'll have to tune in next time to find out.   This episode had a pretty unusual structure. It actually covered a lot of ground. First it raised the issue of the CO2, but very quickly became an episode all about the drone attacks. But then it transitioned, almost into an entirely different episode about finding their descendants. Only to have it all come together with the drones, and the CO2 being important elements of the climax. Then, we make it all the way to Novus before the episode ends. In my memory of earlier watches, this was all covered over a series of several episodes, not just one. But … as unusual as it may feel, this structure works for the episode. It's a thrilling ride.   And I can't wait to delve into the next one with you. That'll be called Epilogue.   Until then, have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper.   Make it so.  

Today I'm reviewing Lost Bits, a science fiction novel by Kerry Nietz. This book follows K404 a robot who wakes up in the middle of a junkyard with no memory of how he got there. As he explores his world, he collects a tribe of other robots. Two things really drove me through this book - the fantastic interplay between the characters and the mystery of what has happened to the world. Highly recommended for fans of robot fiction and buddy drama. -- Get a free sci-fi book at http://adamdavidcollings.com/free

In a slightly more standalone episode of Stargate Universe, we go hunting for an alien creature that has taken two Destiny crewmembers. Varro and his Lucian Alliance people want to join, as they have much more experience with this, but can they be trusted? And what's going on with Greer? ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd. This is episode 87 of the podcast Today, we're talking about  the Stargate Universe episode “The Hunt”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on Gateworld reads “The crew organise a desperate rescue mission after a predatory creature attacks an offworld team and takes two people captive.”   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie It was directed by Andy Mikita And it first aired on the 3rd of May 2012.   We're on an alien planet. One of those nicely forested Canada planets we visited so often in SG-1. They spot animals that they refer to as space deer. Greer points out they'll look ever better roasting on a spit. Park is shocked. “You're kidding, right?” she says with a look of amazement on her face. Greer gives an amusing response. “Well, how would you cook them?” Turns out Park is a vegetarian. Nothing wrong with that, at all. But I'm a little surprised at her shock.   They're on a spaceship, stranded far from Earth. No way to get supplies. They've been scrounging for anything they can find to eat on planets they visit, that might have nutritional value to keep them alive. And Park is shocked that a non vegetarian would consider eating these animals? Her surprise shocks me. Most of what they've eaten in the last two seasons has been extremely unpalatable vegetables. They probably haven't had access to much protein. It makes sense.   Park does raise a legitimate point. What if these creatures are intelligent? I was actually thinking about that myself before she said it. You better make sure they're not sapient beings. Exactly how you do that is up for discussion. But you can get a pretty decent level of accuracy just by observing their behaviour. As Scott says, he saw one of them eat their own vomit. Not proof, by any means, but certainly one piece of evidence.   They look pretty cool up close. The CGI is a little dated by today's standards, but still very artistic, and certainly a lot more than they could have done in the early days of SG-1.   But before Greer can make the shot, the animals run away, spooked by something. That's when they hear the roar. They're not on another T-Rex planet, are they?   Something jumps out and attacks them. We see the encounter from the point of view of the creature. Then we cut to credits. When we come back out, we're looking at Kino footage, which still seems to be shot from the creature's point of view, which is really weird and hard to explain.   There's a trope often used in horror or sci-fi and fantasy. It's the idea of ‘hide the monster'. And it can work sometimes. But I think I've said before, that this annoys and frustrates me in situations where the characters can see the creature, but it's artificially hidden from us, the audience. That REALLY bugs me.   Plenty of the away team have been injured from the attack, and two are missing =- TJ and Reynolds. Scott wants to go down and find them, but Young is going himself, and leaving Scott in charge on Destiny., Young is a little concerned that Greer hesitated when he had the animal in his sights. He didn't take the shot. If it's just a moment of indecision, then that happens. It's cool. But if there is a bigger problem, Greer needs to figure out what it is and fix it. Greer gives a very compliant “Yes, sir.”   Eli and Brody are exploring new parts of the ship. Rush wants them to take a cautious approach. Not looking inside boxes. Fair enough, I guess. But at some point, somebody needs to look in the box or you'll never know what's inside.   Brody thinks that Eli is afraid of Rush. Eli denies it, but when they reach Rush, he goes all quiet and awkward.   And after last week's episode, this feels wrong. Eli is really upset with Rush right now. When we last saw him, he'd just sacrifice Ginn to save Rush's life. Eli stood up to Rush and spoke in a very affirmative and almost aggressive way. At this point, I think Eli is done being intimidated by Rush, and has had enough of his crap.   Anyway, they find a room filled with slots in the wall. They look kind of like Borg regeneration alcoves. Eli calls them stasis pods. It makes sense that a long-range ship like Destiny would have them, but they're empty. And there's a lot of them.   Rush wants to check the computers for information before spending any time studying these pods. He wants to move on, to Eli's dismay.   Rush is basically cataloguing. Exploring the ship, see what you find, note it, and move on. Come back later to do detailed examinations of the things you noted. And that's a valid way to explore. Possibly even a wise way. It keeps you on task, without getting distracted by each new shiny thing.   But when you find something significant like this, it's hard to just walk away. And it seems that Rush's approach and attitude is being significantly influenced by the recent tragedy. He jumped in head first because he wanted to be with Perry, and got trapped in the computer.   Greer is letting his guilt over not firing cause him to make poor and rash decisions. Yes, they need to hurry, but as Young points out, they need to hurry in the right direction. There's no point running ahead if you're going the wrong way.   Young is concerned that Greer hasn't had enough time to recuperate after his surgery. It seems in the last few episodes, we've really been delving into Greer's flaws.   Varro wants to volunteer to help with the rescue. The Lucian Alliance people have been hunting most of their lives. They could do this more efficiently and effectively than Young and his team. Scott agrees and sends them down.   Volker goes to the sick bay to see how Park is doing. The other patient, a loud-mouthed guy, is being really self-absorbed. Volker admits that he's here to express concern for both of them, but Park clearly has more of his attention right now. And loud-mouth doesn't help matters with his attitude. I wonder, does Volker have some feelings for Park? It's entirely possible that this is just concern driven by friendship and working closely together, of course. That's completely normal and appropriate. But stories have a tendency to focus more on romantic feelings, so I'm just wondering. We've seen Park and Greer have a physical relationship in the past. Is it still going on? I'm not sure.   TJ and Reynolds are still alive. They're in a cave. The fact that they're still alive is a good sign, but not as good as Reynolds is hoping. The creature is saving them for later. To eat. But that, at least, buys them time to be rescued.   Once Rush is out of the way, Eli decides to hell with what Rush thinks. He's gonna go look at the stasis pods. Brody decides to go with him. When TJ looks out of the cave mouth to see where they are, we get our first real glimpse of the monster. We don't see it fully, just a quick shot. We see a tail and the back end of  a large muscled body. And that's fine. I'm cool with that. That's enough. Just show us little half glimpses at the start and fully reveal the monster at the end. I'm fine with that. But we should have seen this glimpse, at least, at the beginning.   So Chloe comes to see how Volker is doing. She tries, subtly at first, to suggest maybe he should tell Park how he feels about her. When that doesn't work, because subtly rarely works on us blokes, she asks outright. “Does she know how you feel?”   Volker denies anything beyond friendship between them, but his awkwardness pretty much confirms that feeling that he does have. And has no idea what to do with it. He's a nerd like me. I totally get it.   Eli is really starting to vent about his issues with Rush now. This is what I was talking about at the beginning of the episode. These are the feelings I'm expecting him to have. He's tired of Rush taking charge of everything and cutting the others out of decisions and even knowledge.   Rush WAS lead scientist on Icarus, but this is personal. This is about what Eli had to do to save Rush. This is about Rush keeping the bridge secret for so long.   He confirms that he doesn't want to be head scientist, but he does want more of a say. And that's when Brody accidentally gets locked into one of the stasis pods. As Eli tries to free him, he activates the pod, putting Body into cryogenic suspension. That's not good. But Eli doesn't know is that Rush already knows they're there. He was watching. And he's the one who activated the pod. He's screwing with them.   Varro learned to hunt as a child. But he also learned to respect nature. Those two things seem to go together. But Greer sees nothing to respect in this creature. He calls it a monster. Varro points out that animals don't know hate, only fear and hunger. Which is true. So what exactly is a monster? Really, that's just a word we use to demonise a creature. And I can totally understand doing that. If an animal killed someone I love, I'd totally demonise it. I'd be filled with hate for this creature, which had acted out of fear and hunger.   Anyway, the creature ambushes them. It's a pretty frantic scene. Several of them were badly injured. Varro has determined this creature is very intelligent. It's been hunting them while they've been hunting it.   And Greer is still acting rashly. He is really not himself.   James has noticed that Greer is freezing under pressure. It happens to people, but not to Greer. He shares that he thinks he died. He woke up after the surgery and there was nothing. Couldn't see, couldn't hear. For the first time, he's experiencing fear.   James thinks it was just Greer's brain waking from the heavy sedation a little ahead of his body. Greer thinks it was something darker. Death. Maybe hell.   Young can't go on, because of his injuries. He'll only slow them down. He knows this. Varro knows he knows this. He doesn't want to give up on his people, but he's a CO. He knows the right call here. So he chooses to trust Varro.   Interesting that young doesn't say “Bring them back.” He says “bring her back.” Despite everything, Young still has very close personal feelings for TJ. He had pushed those feelings aside, refusing to acknowledge them, out of respect for his wife (although that doesn't make up for his past unfaithfulness), but she still obviously means a great deal to him. More than just one of his crew. I do wonder, if now that his wife has asked him for a divorce, whether he is reconsidering the possibility of something happening with TJ. But she seemed to be tired of being toyed with, and with all she's gone through this season, it's hardly the time to try to start something.   Volker comes in to see PArk again. She asks him if he was watching her sleep. His response is so awkward that I think his feelings are probably pretty obvious to Park now. Rush has some work for Park. She's going crazy just laying there.   Rush has noticed Volker's interest in Park. But he believes nothing could ever happen with them. Not because she's so attractive, and he's not, but because Volker isn't the romantic type. He's the good friend type. And that's just life. We all have our pre-destined roles (which does not actually sound like Rush at all). Volker is destined to live the single life and pursue science. I think he might be using a little reverse psychology here. See, Rush does sometimes like to help others, but he does it in a very Rush way.   Varro has set a trap for the creature, which they know is stalking them as much as they're stalking it. This is when Greer decides to speak up with what's on his mind. Greer has never liked any of the Lucian Alliance. Varro has been one of the good ones for quite a while, but not good enough for Greer. He doesn't trust Varro, and he's concerned about what may be starting to happen between him and TJ.   Varro doesn't deny it, he simply says “why don't we let her decide that.”   When the creature attacks, Greer is still not thinking well. He yells out “I'm right here.” He's being driven by all sorts of emotion.   They blow up the creature. They can now hike to the lair without further threat. And that's when two of the hunters get taken by creatures. There are more of them. The way this is done is pretty good. You see them just kind of disappear into the brushes, really quickly, like they've been snatched by something.   Why didn't they use that effect at the start of the episode, instead of the monster-POV allowing the characters to get a good look at the monster, while hiding it from us. The effect used here would have been much better. It's creepy. It's very effective. IT evokes fear, not only of the power of this creature, but of its unknown nature.   Reynolds is pretty scared. The creature is too strong to kill. And he can't stand the thought of being eaten alive. When the time comes, if he doesn't have the guts to do it himself, he asks TJ to kill him.   TJ has some harsh words for him, which he seems to take onboard. She managed to make radio contact with Varro and Greer. That could greatly improve their odds of rescuing them. With nobody else to turn to, Eli asks Chloe to help with Brody. He can't tell Rush. He wants to solve this without Rush. Chloe may still have some residual alien knowledge. That might be helpful.   They've found the lair, but Varro is hesitant to go with Greer. He doesn't think Greer is up for it. He's no coward, but he's second-guessing himself, and they don't have time for him to work through whatever issues he's working through. Varro has a point. But Greer will never accept that because he doesn't trust Varro.   So Varro has little choice but to go along with Greer's plan.   We get a really good look at the creature when it enters the lair. I think this is one of the babies. Anyway, it looks good. I like it.   When Greer arrives, TJ tells him not to shoot. She thinks the creature is recognising intelligence in TJ for using the fire.   Greer has the shot. He second-guessed himself last time, and now he's being told not to shoot. This is not going to be helpful with the things he's trying to work through.   TJ and Reynoldfsd leave the lair. The creature allows them. Greer bets that the creature is smart enough to know he can kill it, but is choosing not to. It's a bet he's making with his life.   The bet pays off. All three of them are able to leave unharmed, without harming the creature.   I have to wonder, just how intelligent is this thing? Is it a sapient being like us? There is no sign of civilisation. It lives like an animal. Hunting prey. It doesn't build anything. No evidence that it has tried to develop technology. But then, it doesn't have the tools in its body like we do.   It's a good reminder that intelligent alien life won't necessarily look like us. Which is actually the caution that Park raised at the start of the episode.   So Rush finally lets Brodgy out of the stasis pod. Seems this was more than just him playing a joke on Eli and Brody. He was testing the pod to see how it worked, and has evidently decided they shouldn't use them.   So…he's conducted human experimentation without the consent of knowledge of his test subject.   That's a new low for Rush, I think.   And nobody will ever know because it'll all be blamed on a mistake by Eli. But in the end, Rush has achieved what he wanted with those two. They are now much more cautious, which is what he wanted them to be.   Greer has put in a good word for Varro, who is now a free man, allowed to roam the ship again. That's the thing about Greer, he's not one to trust, but if you prove yourself to him, he'll back you up.   A romantic moment was about to happen between Varro and TJ, and it was very much mutual. But they're interrupted by somebody at the door. It's Young, inviting Varro to lend his expertise to tonight's dinner.   After Young leaves, TJ looks really troubled, emotionally. I'm not quite sure what's going through her head. Is she torn between Varro and Young? Or is it just about Varro, wondering if she should pursue him or not. I'm really not sure. So Volker has finally worked up the courage to tell Park how he feels. He walks into the sick bay, flower in hand, and he sees Greer there with her, practically lying on top of her. It seems there is still very much something going on between those two.   He walks sadly away. He can't compete with a strong, brave tough guy like Greer. I really feel for Volker. I know how he's feeling in that moment. I've been there. It's the feeling of ‘how could anyone possibly love me? I'm just a nerd. I'm nothing. No one could ever want me.' I remember feeling those things deeply.   And yet, by some miracle, it worked out for me. I'm married to a wonderful woman and we love each other deeply.   There is always hope.   Of course, the odds are much harder for someone like Volker, on a spaceship with a very small sample of human beings.   The episode ends with the crew enjoying some tasty alien venison at Becker's Barbecue.  Airman Becker, being the ship's official chef.   I really enjoyed this episode. It's mostly a standalone, after a whole lot of episodes that have followed directly one from another, but it still has a lot of connective tissue. But the standalone elements were very entertaining.   Next time, we'll look at the first of two episodes that delve into what happened when the alternate timeline crew went through that wormhole in Twin Destinies.   I'll see you then for Common Descent.   Only 4 more episodes left of Stargate Universe. We better enjoy every minute of it, because it'll be over before we know it.   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so  

Who doesn't love a good crossover? In this episode, we get to see not one, but two beloved characters from Stargate Atlantis (both of whom got their start on Stargate SG-1). Richard Woolsey and Dr. Rodney Mackay assist the crew of Destiny in their attempt to convince the Langaran government to let them dial Destiny from their planet. The only thing missing is Jonas Quinn. But are they putting the people of Langara at risk? While all that's going on, we also get more insight into what life is like for Perry and Ginn as disembodied data structures. Rush goes on a journey that ends in heartbreak. I have a lot to say about both plots in the episode, so let's dig in. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd. This is episode 86 of the podcast   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Seizure”   And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on GateWorld reads Homeworld Command tries to convince an ally occupying a naquadria-rich planet to let them try to dial Destiny, but suspects that they have already been infiltrated by the Lucian Alliance.   This episode was WRITTEN BY: Rémi Aubuchon It was DIRECTED BY: Helen Shaver And it first aired on 27th February 2012   The episode opens with a very familiar face. Richard Woolsey, played by Robert Picardo. No longer in his Atlantis uniform, he's back in suit and tie. He's negotiating with an ambassador from the planet Langara. That's Jonas Quin's world. The place where Naquadria was first discovered. This planet has a naquadria core. The perfect place for dialling Destiny.   It's a bit of a shame that Jonas doesn't appear in this episode. It would have been cool to bring back Corin Nemmick, but then, there's already so much in this episode that I don't think they would have done him justice. It would probably have been little more than a cameo.   It seems word got through from Senator Michaels. Chloe convinced her that they should go ahead with trying to dial Destiny so as to provide supplies and personnel.   But this is a big risk. The last two planets they dialled destiny from were destroyed. Langara is a populated world with millions of humans. If this goes badly, the loss of life will be catastrophic.   Telford argues there were mitigating circumstances in both of those cases. Personally, I'm not so sure. I wouldn't be inclined to try doing this from a populated world.   But Woolsey assures the ambassador - Ovirda, that they have a new solution for dialling the gate. And with that, the door is opened, and in walks Doctor Rodney Mackay.   Okay. We need to pause for a minute so we can scream with nerdy glee. Two popular characters from Stargate Atlantis are appearing in this episode. And both of those characters got their start on SG-1. So this is a huge crossover event. I'm fanboying all over the place.   Before Mackay can say more than a few words he's interrupted by Ovirda. He isn't a scientist. He's not interested in hearing Mackay's speech. He'll let his own science people decide. If they think it's safe, then he'll consider allowing Earth to use his planet to dial Destiny. He's not going to risk his world on the hearsay of people from Earth with their own agendas.   And quite frankly, I don't blame him. If I was in his position I'd be saying the exact same thing.   But there's a catch. The Lucian Alliance still want Destiny. That's speculation, but well-educated speculation. They know there are few worlds where the dialling can be done. They'll be coming for Langara, and they won't care if they destroy the planet or not.   Ovirda says it sounds like Earth's protection is becoming conditional. And Woolsey doesn't exactly deny it.   Mackay is very sure of his science. But then that's always been his problem. He's overconfident in his own abilities and superiority. Remember that time Mackay accidentally destroyed a solar system?   Telford thinks the Lucian Alliance have already gotten to Ovirda's people. I find that an extraordinary statement. I mean, it's probably true, knowing how story-telling works, but as I've said, I feel that Ovirda is acting just the way you'd expect somebody in his situation to act.   But Telford has further evidence the others don't know about. Something about satellites. Honestly, what he says is a bit vague and the episode rushes through it very quickly. The point is, it's looking like Langara has sided with the Lucian Alliance in this war, undeclared though it may be. That means the Alliance can launch an assault on Destiny at any time. Without Mackay's solution. But my question is how. Are we to believe they've come up with their own solution? How have the alliance convinced Ovirda's people that they can safely dial without destroying their world? This seems quite unbelievable to me.   Young, who is visiting Earth with the stones, says they're launching a fact-finding mission to Langara. Call it a proof of concept. Mackay is delighted when Young wants him to go through his presentation. But before he can start, Young says, not here.   Now, there's a big elephant in the room of this episode. We don't know what happened to Atlantis. Is it still on Earth? Or did they take it back to Pegasus? What are Woolsey, Mackay, Shepherd and the rest doing when they're not helping with this project? We don't get any answers to these questions, and maybe we never will. Back on Destiny, Rush is playing chess with Perry. Of course, he has to move the pieces for her, since she has no physical substance. And we learn that Perry may have been the only person who Rush could never beat at chess.   Things are actually looking really good for these two. Perry is no longer trapped in a broken body, and Rush gets to have the woman he loves around all the time. Previously, he only got to see her occasionally when she visited the ship using the stones.   It turns out, in her new non-corporeal form, in the ship's computer, Perry can concentrate on multiple things at once. She is also studying the ancient pattern and reviewing the ship's sensor readings. Rush argues she is more now than she was. She is better than a human. I think Rush may actually be jealous.   But Perry dreams of having a flesh and blood body. And he dreams of that two. Because then, well, they could be closer physically, in a number of different ways.   Perry surprises us all by saying “there is a way.” So Mackay arrives on Destiny. He's in Brody's body, but he was expecting Rush. The plan was that Rush would go to earth and look over Mackay's notes while Mackay explained his theory, not to Rush, but to Eli. If Eli is convinced, then Young is convinced.   But apparently, Rush has taken the day off. He's in the interface chair running a program.   I'm sure most viewers were expecting a lot of interaction between Mackay and Rush in an episode like this. Certainly I think that would have been intreresting.   I wonder how that conversation would go. In some ways, Rush and Mackay are so similar. They are both insanely intelligent, but they also both have very similar personal flaws. And yet, they have just drastically different personalities.   If anything, I think Mackay would want to try to prove that he was the smartest, whereas Rush would even lower himself to that. He'd see such petty competition as beneath him.   Anyway, TJ says that Rush is basically in a sleep-like state in the chair. He's actually in what Perry calls an immersive simulation. It was already in Destiny's database. Perry just had to find a way that they could experience the program together. So…what are they doing in this simulation? Well……I'm sure you can guess what they'd be doing. They appear to have just finished making love.   So the chair is now basically Stargate's holodeck. They can create any simulated scenario  with hyper-realistic sensory input. and experience it. Maybe The Matrix is a slightly more accurate analogy.   Greer just donated a kidney, and he's already running around the ship, trying to get some exercise. C'mon mate. This is a bit silly   Mackay and Eli are arguing passionately. They can't seem to agree. But not about the dialling program. They confirmed that was good and moved on a while ago. We don't actually get to learn what they were discussing. Probably something wonderfully nerdy. Rodney actually likes Eli. Says he reminds him of himself at that age. He's about to make a disparaging comment about Eli's weight but before he can finish, Eli mentions Rodney's hair.   Young says Rodney can go back to earth now. He's a little disappointed, but if this works, he can always come back in person.   And when he appears back on earth, the first thing he says is “He didn't eat any citrus while in my body did he, because I don't feel great.” Ah, classic Rodney Mackay. He is, of course, allergic to citrus, which is a serious matter, but Atlantis and SG-1 often took delight in making jokes about it.   So it's time to talk about the plan. Woolsey has reservations. And frankly, so do I. The first few times I watched this episode, I was focussed on how cool it was to have Woolsey and Rodney on the show. This time around, I'm really thinking deeper about what they're doing. They're going to go to another planet, and enact this plan against the will of the inhabitants. And no matter how much Rodney and Eli say the plan is safe, I don't think I'd be willing to risk this on a populated world - at least without their consent. If it goes wrong, they murder billions of people. And let's not forget, there are three main countries on Langara. Stargate Command are probably negotiating with the Kelownans. Even if they agree, Terrania and Andari are at just as much risk.   Woolsey wants to make some kind of peace offering. According to intelligence, the alliance are likely to make their move on Langara in a few days, invited or not. So O'Neil believes the Langarins would prefer to side with earth rather than the alliance. The idea is to prove that Rodney's dialling program is safe, to make Earth's said more palatable. Woolsey won't support a mission to take the Langaran stargate by force, but Young says they won't be doing that, and they do have a peace offering.   Greer is fighting another fever. He says he'll fight harder, but TJ explains it doesn't work that way. Greer remains unconvinced, which is unfortunate. I think Greer's unwavering belief in his strength is his greatest weakness. A certain pig-headedness is probably advantageous for a marine, but Greer is so afraid of losing his macho image, not just in other people's eyes, but in his own eyes, that he's making unwise decisions. Doing stupid things. Greer's smarter than that. But he's blinded by his desire to be strong at all times.   Eli has figured out that Rush has uploaded his consciousness into Destiny's computer. Amanda finds life as an incorporeal thought pattern lonely. I wonder where Ginn is in all of this? Have these two tried interacting with one another at all?   Amanda wants Rush to keep their little simulation a secret. Rush was actually open to making it public. But it's not gonna stay a secret. Eli is already on the case. Rush is being pretty responsible about this whole thing. He knows there's a real world out there where he's needed. He can't just lose himself in this simulation.   When Rush tries to wake himself up, it doesn't work. Amanda taps away at a console, but Rush reminds her that nothing she does in here means anything. These are not real controls. They're in a simulation that is isolated from the real ship. The only option is for her to appear in the real world and talk to someone.   Meanwhile, Eli is trying to get a hold of Ginn, who doesn't seem to want to appear. He knows what Rush has done. He just doesn't know how to fix it. He and Ginn actually had the exact same idea. But Ginn didn't want Eli to try it because uploading a human consciousness into a computer and back again is pretty dangerous. Which makes perfect sense.   Eli points out that on their way toward ascension, the ancients did a lot of work into transferring human consciousness. The communication stones were one example of that. And that makes a great deal of sense to me.   The reason Ginn is hiding is because she got annoyed at Eli when he tried to convince her he should take the risk.   Amanda says the problem was that Ginn's disapproval manifested in preventing Rush's wake-up from working, but it should be good now.   This time, when he tries, Rush wakes up surrounded by Eli, Brody, and Park.   Evidently, they have convinced Woolsey to go along with their plan. He gates to Langara and presents a gift for the ambassador. A carved ancient artefact. When the soldier touches it, he is immediately body-swapped with Scott. Because, of course, the artefact is the communication stone.   Young takes over the administrator Halperin's body in much the same way.   Young and Scott give a decent performance. Not all of the Langaran's are entirely convinced. But they've prepared the way for the team from Earth to come. They are going to attempt to dial the gate.   I'm gonna say it again. It's awesome to see Mackay in SGU.  He's busy being Mackay about everything. And Young just says, “Shepherd's right.” Oh what  I would have given for a big crossover event stories with characters from SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, as a way to finish off the story when this show was cancelled. Pity that never eventuated.   Whoolsey has a second objective. He's searching the commander's office.   Telford really wants Rodney on the new team that travels to Destiny, assuming they successfully dial the gate. Rodney is excited by the possibilities, of course, but he's hesitant about the whole maybe never getting home thing. But he's taken that plunge before. He knowingly left Earth for Atlantis, knowing less about the place than he does Destiny, with the very real possibility they may never come back.   Rodney picks up on some of the tension between Telford and Young. Not so much personal tension anymore, but there's still professional tension. Telford would like to be the one calling the shots. Then again, he was the first in line to come home when Eli was running his dialling program from within the star.   I think what it comes down to is that Young has Rush. Telford wants his own socially inept genius. But Telford asks the question “what is it with genius and lack of social skills?” And that has me wondering. It's a cliche in fiction, but is there a correlation in the real world? Is it common for real geniuses to lack social skills? I have a feeling that is the case, but is that just because I've been exposed to this trope so often in my fiction?   Woolsey has found evidence that the Langarans have refused to work with the Lucian Alliance, for fear of jeopardising their relationship with Earth. Time after time they've been offered more, and each time they've refused. It looks like their spy satellites were wrong. The langarans are not working with the enemy. Telford thinks this changes nothing. Woolsey is not so sure. Young gets a phone call for Administrator Helperin. There are concerns from the higher ups. They're on their way. Perry appears to Rush, to make sure he got out okay. Then she vanishes. We cut to Eli. Ginn appears and tells him she's performed an emergency shut down of the FTL drive. She needs a distraction. Rush is still in the chair. What he thinks the world is not actually real.   Perry made a mistake and there is no way out of the simulation. Ginn doesn't think Perry did it on purpose. She's deceiving Rush to buy time until she can solve the problem. But if this isn't deliberate, why doesn't she reach out to Eli like Ginn did? And why suppress Ginn was reaching out?   Anyway, Rush is not easily fooled. He figures out he's still in the simulation and sets the ship to explode. This is Rush's way out. If this doesn't work, nothing will. Perry insists that this is real. He'll kill everyone on the ship.   Young says they need to reconsider. Telford is going by the adage “It's better to ask forgiveness than permission. It'll all be okay once it's done and their point is proven.”   This is about to turn into a disaster. Armed guards enter. So they have two options. They stand down, or they defend themselves, with force, until the gate is dialled. That means they fire on their allies. They kill innocent Langaran soldiers. Young is not prepared to do that. Telford is.  It's a very tense moment as they wait for the countdown to the 8th chevron. In the end, it's Rodney, of all people, who speaks the voice of reason and convinces Young to shut it down. This mission is already a failure and it's only going to get worse.   But the observed data so far suggests it probably would have worked.   Eli has everyone working on the problem. Which is good because Rush's plan didn't work. Destroying the ship didn't get him out, but it did prove that he's in a simulation. Now Perry has to face Rush's disappointment that she lied to him.   Then we get the bombshell. Perry programmed a parameter into the simulation. Rush can come and go as long as he and Perry love each other. She loves him but she has concluded that he doesn't love her. Because he can't leave. Rush insists that he does love her.   This was all very unfair of Perry, which she admits to. Love is a complex thing. It can't be quantified as simply as Perry is trying to do. Perry is head over heels for Rush. She's been in love with him most of her life. The feelings Rush has for Perry are different, because he is different. His feelings for her are much newer.  He is a more self-sufficient and selfish person by nature. And he is still filled with grief over the death of his wife. All of these factors, and probably many more, are causing the software to return a false value, rather than a true, to whether Rush loves her. But you can't encapsulate love in a boolean value like that. Relationships start very shallow. And they grow. They continue to grow over a lifetime. The love my wife and I share now is different from the love we shared when I asked her to marry me. It's stronger now. More mature. Deeper. Perry is writing Rush off because she's further along in her feelings than he is. And that's not just unfair, it's stupid and naive. I suspect Rush could love her in the way she wants. He was well on the way to that. Right now, he's in the infatuation stage. But you can see it growing.   But there's an even bigger bombshell. The only way to get Rush out of this simulation now, is for Eli to delete the area of memory where it's all stored. The area of memory where Perry and Ginn are stored.   For Rush to escape, both Perry and Ginn have to die.   So Perry plays Juliet, and childishly kills herself rather than live without the love she perceives Rush doesn't have for her, and in the process, she murders Ginn.   Rush may be selfish, but he's got nothing on Amanda Perry.   You can tell by the look on Rush's face as she vanishes, that Perry was wrong about him. Young and Scott are back. The Langarans have agreed to release Earth's people in exchange for defence against the Lucian Alliance. And the removal of the stargate from their power generation facility. I guess they want it somewhere else, nowhere near their naquadria.   This has been an episode of massive screw-ups.   The one good decision made in this episode was by James. She showed her Langaran prisoners around the ship. Let them have a glimpse of the life those stranded crew are experiencing.   Rush wakes up from a coma after a few days.   We get one little bit of good news. Perry and Ginn aren't gone forever. Not deleted, but quarantined. Cut off in a part of memory where they can no longer interact with the crew. So while Ginn is not technically gone, she and Eli can't see each other any more. Maybe they can find a way to bring them back some day. It's a small sliver of hope.   Eli made a huge sacrifice for Rush. He's not going to be able to forgive Rush quickly for this, if ever.   In the last moment of the episode, we realise Greer has finally started listening to TJ, as he urges Rush to do the same.   So I bring you back the question I asked at the end of last episode. Ginn and Perry are now gone.   If you could bring your loved one back again, to speak with them one more time, but then have to go through the pain of losing them a second time,  would you do it? It's an even more difficult question to answer now, isn't it.   This was a powerful episode. I always remember this for the Langaran stuff. The coolness factor of seeing Rodney and Woolsey in Stargate Universe. But in reality, I think that element is almost overshadowed by the emotional intensity of what has just happened, with the Amanda Perry plot.   We all feel insecurity at times. I certainly have, but Perry's insecurity has taken everything from Eli, Ginn and even Rush.   I think the biggest takeaway from all of this is simply this. In your insecurity, don't do stupid things.   Next time, we're getting into some old fashion Stargate planetary action, in The Hunt.

Today's episode of Stargate Universe delves deep into a lot of character emotions with two plots, neither of which presents great danger to the ship. Volker is facing a medical issue that could be managed on earth, but is life-threatening on Destiny. And the crew are shocked by the sudden re-appearance of a friend they thought was dead. Lots of great things to talk about in this one. Find my original science fiction at http://www.AdamDavidCollings.com/books ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd   This is episode 85 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Hope” And if you'd like to check out my original science fiction books, head on over to AdamDavidCollings.com/books   The description on Gateworld reads Chloe's body is taken over by the mind of someone the crew believed was dead. Meanwhile, T.J. must perform a dangerous transplant when Dr. Volker is diagnosed with an illness that threatens his life.   This episode was written by Carl Binder. It was directed by William Waring And it first aired on the 20th of February 2012 So they're still waiting to get a stone connection from Earth. After 6 days, still wondering what happened to their home. Does Washington DC still even exist? Are all their superiors dead? Will they ever have contact with their loved ones again?   It's got to be a hard thing to live with. That waiting. And of course, your mind is going to invent the worst possible scenario and play it over and over again. Anybody been there?   We get a throw-away line that Volker's leg has fallen asleep. The first little bit of foreshadowing that something is wrong with him.   Eli can't understand how Rush can not be worried about everything. Rush is actively trying to take Eli's mind off things with the chess games. And probably trying to distract himself as well. But Rush is good at hiding away those pesky human feelings most of the time. It doesn't mean he doesn't feel the same things we do, he just liked to give the impression he's got it all under control.   Brody and Volker are having a little argument about the theme from 2001 A Space Odessy. Volker insists on referring to it by its proper name. Sprach Zarathustra. It's actually a piece of music composed by Strauss in 1896. Brody's point is that everybody knows it as the 2001 theme. Most people don't even know it existed before that movie.   It's a pointless and juvenile thing to be bickering about. But again, it's a way of distracting themselves from everything. From the problems on earth, and honestly, from the pain Volker is feeling right now.   But finally. Finally. They have a connection.   Somebody connects to Chloe's body. Young walks in and asks, who are you? Eager for news of Earth.   The response is the last thing he could ever have expected.   “I'm Ginn. What happened?”   As you can imagine, Eli comes running when he hears the news. And he so desperately wants this to be true. The others are a little sceptical, Rush probably most of all. Ginn is telling her story. At first, she found it hard to breathe, because she was in Amanda Perry's body. She was asked a lot of questions about the Lucian Alliance, and then …. Nothing. One minute she was answering questions and the next she was standing here.   When she looks in the mirror, she has a little moment of panic. What happened? Why didn't I return to my own body? She doesn't know yet.   No point beating around the bush. Young tells her the truth. That Simeon killed her body and they received word that Perry's body died at the same time.   What a thing to hear! How do you respond to that? What do you do with that? David Blue does a great job of letting a whole lot of emotions show on his face.   Volker reports to TJ. He's feeling a bit off. Having trouble sleeping. While she's preparing something to calm him down, he collapses on the floor. There is clearly something wrong with him. More than he's been letting on.   Eli thinks all of this makes no sense, but Young rightly points out, clearly, they don't know as much about how the stones work as they think they do. Remember, it's alien technology. It diodn't come with a user manual. When Ginn's body was murdered, the connection wasn't properly severed. Her consciousness could have been floating around in the system like a stray radio signal since then. So why did she enter Chloe's body now? Rush speculates. Maybe because Chloe fell asleep while on stone duty. It's a good theory, but they can't know for sure.   Scott raises a concerning question that nobody has thought about yet. Whose body is Chloe connected to?   After waking him up, TJ takes some tests. His blood pressure is high. He used to take pills for that. He's been experiencing these symptoms for about a month.  He didn't bother mentioning it to TJ because he thought there was nothing she could do about it, without the resources of Earth. But, there were other things she could have tried.   After doing some more tests, TJ has found that Volker is suffering from kidney failure. The problem with kidney disease is that by the time there are symptoms, it's already too late. On earth, the next step would be dialysis. But out here, what are they supposed to do? This is a very real problem that I'm glad they addressed in Stargate Universe. When you're remote and cut off from the rest of the world, health problems become a much bigger deal.  Volker's only option at this point is a transplant.   Eli explains the history to Ginn about Simeon and Rush's revenge. Ginn is glad that Eli didn't seek revenge in the same way. She didn't want him to get hurt, which he kind of takes as a slight on his macho-ness, but before he can defend himself, she kisses him.   It takes a few minutes, but Eli realises he has to practice what he preaches. This is Chloe's body. Not Ginn's. He didn't approve when Rush and Perry were going to use Ginn's body inappropriately. Now he has to respect Chloe in the same way.   Of course, it's a little harder when you're the one who is going to miss out on the intimacy with someone you love.   To Ginn, this isn't so much about the kiss. This is an uncomfortable reminder that she's a disembodied spirit without a body. “What's going to happen to me,” she asks. “Is there any way to get back into my own body?”   Eli tells her about the funeral they held for her. They buried her body on the next planet they found after her death.   This is a difficult situation for both of them. For Eli, he had to grieve her loss, and now, he finds she's not entirely dead. But she's not entirely back, either. He gets to have what so many others have wished for throughout history. He gets to talk with his loved one. He gets to hear what she has to say back to him. But having that only makes him want more. If some part of her is alive, he wants her back permanently, in a body of her own.   And that's when she starts choking. That's not good   TJ can't find anything physically wrong with Ginn. She really has her work cut out for her in this episode, doesn't she? One patient with a life-threatening illness she probably can't cure, and another going through something she can't begin to comprehend.   Rush speculates it might be related to her death by strangling. She died while she was still connected to the stones. I'm not sure exactly how this is supposed to work. Rush's explanation of energies didn't make a lot of sense to me. But it's interesting.   Scott wants to get her disconnected as soon as possible, to prevent risk to Chloe. Eli wants to further study this phenomenon. Disconnecting Chloe might mean losing Ginn forever. Rush agrees there are scientific reasons to keep studying. Whatever his reasons, at least Rush's agreement helps Eli convince TJ.   TJ explains the issue with Volker to Young. They can't bring in a surgeon from Earth right now, as they've lost contact, even if they did have a donor. TJ is going to have to read up on organ transplants and try to perform the surgery herself. It must suck being the only medic on board, but not actually being a doctor. So much is expected and required of her. So much more than she is technically capable of. But if not her, then who?   To find a compatible donor, she'll need more than blood type. She'll need tissue samples. With such a small group to pull from, it's very unlikely she'll find someone.   Scott and Greer are both possibilities. They at least have the right blood type. And we learn here that Greer is a marine. Most of the SGC personnel are air force. It makes sense they'd bring some marines in, though. They're supposed to be the best fighters, right?   So Rush is being Rush. He goes to Young's office to tell him the transplant surgery is fraught with danger. And Young's first question is, “Is your blood type compatible.” He knows Rush and his selfish ways too much. But this isn't about preventing risk to himself. He points out that a transplant will risk not just one life but two. And that is very true. And it's a good point. A sobering one. But what's the alternative? Just let Volker die?   I don't think that's an option. Not if there is somebody willing to take the risk to try to help him.   Ginn tells Eli that this time it feels different to the last time she used the stones. And then she starts choking again. And suddenly, it's not Ginn speaking but Chloe. So she's still in there somewhere.   When she wakes up, she's Ginn again. Ginn doesn't have any memory of being anywhere else while Chloe was in control. And Scott has confirmed that the connection was not cut at any time.   Rush doesn't think that Chloe is connected to anyone or anything at the other end. He thinks that Chloe and Ginn are both battling for control of the body. Not in a literal sense, but more subconscious. Ginn is supplanting Chloe.   Scott wants to disconnect the stones more than ever. It's not worth risking Chloe's life. Not even for Ginn   Rush still advises against it. Who knows what that will do?   Imagine being in Eli's shoes. The woman you love, versus another woman that you love, as a close friend. He doesn't want to lose either of them. That's gotta be tearing him apart.   Young orders that next time Ginn has an attack, they'll pull the stones.   I think part of the reason Rush is so against this is because of Amanda Perry. If Ginn's consciousness was preserved, what about Amanda? Could she be stuck out there in cyberspace somewhere as well? It's a long shot, but when it comes to somebody you love, you'll take the longest shot there is.   Ginn on the other hand, doesn't want to hurt Chloe. Because she's a decent person. She agrees with Young.   Chloe appears again but without any attack. It seems they are randomly and rapidly changing now.   Eli speculates that Ginn's energy is dissipated like a radio signal getting more and more distant. That means, even without disconnecting, they may be running out of time before they lose Ginn completely.   Park, Brody and Volker are all helping TJ investigate options for making the transplant more successful. There's an amusing moment when Park mentions one of the side effects of a particular option. And then it gets even more amusing when Volker asks “Why id that funny?” If you've seen the episode recently you know what I'm talking about. You kinda have to be there.   TJ has found two matches. Greer and Dr. Morrison. The best match is 6 antigen, which usually happens in families. Both of these guys are a 4 antigen match. A surprisingly good match given the circumstances.   Morrison angrily demands to know how accurate TJ's tests are because he doesn't want to risk himself for nothing. But before Morrison can even finish, Greer says “I'll do it.” Because he's Greer. And of course, he will.   I swear, every episode he's in, I love Greer more and more.   TJ needs to take some bone marrow from Greer. She offers to put him to sleep. He says the drugs are too important to waste on this. He'll just endure the pain. And while I admire him for this, I think that maybe he's being more of a hero than he needs to be. I'd be taking the darn medicine. But then, he's a marine, and I'm a wimp.   As Greer lies down to have the procedure done, Volker thanks him. Greer says “no big deal.” Volker rightly points out that it is a big deal. And Greer just says “You'd do the same for me.” And he genuinely believes that. Greer is a good person and he believes in the goodness of others.   Does Volker agree? Would he do the same for Greer? I think he's like most of us. He's probably thinking something like “I hope I would.”   I mean, it's easy to say “Yes, I'd risk my life and endure great pain to help you.” And I firmly believe that we should all be prepared to do that for our fellow human. But to take the plunge in that moment, that would take courage.   Greer tries to lighten the mood with a fake-out scream of pain. Now I don't usually agree that serious stories always need “lightening up” in tense moments, but in this case, yeah, I actually appreciated that moment of levity. I'm pretty squeamish about medical stuff.   When TJ does the procedure for real, you can see Greer fighting against the pain, holding back the scream. Some wonderful acting from Jamil Walker Smith.   Eli and Rush haven't had any luck disconnecting the stone device. Chloe and Ginn are switching rapidly now.   Both Chloe and Ginn have expressed concern for each other, even at the risk to themselves. Now there's a thematic link between the two plots in this episode. Nicely done.   Scott assures Chloe they won't do anything that will harm her. And Eli assured her that neither of them want her to come to any harm. Given the closeness between him and Ginn, he kind of needs to make that assurance. To remind her how much he cares about her too.   The plan is to try to find a safe place to store Ginn's consciousness.   Scott is really concerned. He doesn't want this to go on. He approaches Eli and basically tries to tell him he needs to sacrifice Ginn. “I know you miss her..but…” he begins.   And then the big surprise. Suddenly, the body is controlled not by Ginn, or by Chloe. It's Amanda Perry!   Now Rush gets to have the same reunion with his loved one that Eli has had. Ginn and Chloe are both fading, and Perry is becoming more prominent.   That means that Eli is suddenly in the same boat as Scott. Now he has a sense of how Scott's been feeling this whole time.   Now as much as Eli wants to save all of them, I can we can safely assume that Rush's priority is Amanda Perry, and he'd sacrifice both Chloe and Ginn in a heartbeat to save her. He's probably already formulating an argument about how important to the stargate program Perry is, and why she has greater value.   Rush does have an idea. Use the interface chair to upload the disembodied consciousness into the computer, removing them from Chloe's body.   And you just see them all roll their eyes. Not the chair again. It's always the chair. And this is when Rush has to come clean that he's seen Franklin as a kind of ghost. Rush reveals that he managed to separate his mind from the projections a while back, which is why we haven't seen Franklin or Rush's dead wife in some time.   Scott reminds them all that the chair didn't work on Chloe last time they tried it. Then, Rush was trying to remove the alien influence from her. This is different. And he's right about that. I'm not sure Rush ever expected the chair to work last time. But this is something he knows it can do.   Scott wants assurance that there is no harm to Chloe. Rush can't give that. In fact, he'll have to remove some of the safeguards he put on the chair to it usable. And that's kind of scary.   Rush thinks the chances of her being harmed are minimal.   And Scott reminds them all it's not their decision to make. It's Chloe's. But … do Ginn and Perry get a say as well? That's an interesting ethical question.   TJ is nervous about the surgery. She's not even close to qualified to perform it. So is Volker. For him, I don't think it's a lack of faith in TJ, he just doesn't like hospitals and doctors. Greer jokes that this is no hospital, and TJ is no doctor. And that got a laugh out of me. Our Volker too.   Chloe has decided to try the chair. She doesn't want them to risk disconnecting the stones, in case Ginn and Perry are lost.   When we next see TJ, we realise she's not just nervous. She's very scared. If she does this surgery, both patients could die. Of course, if she doesn't Volker will die. Young is not going to order her to do it. She knows what needs to be done She'll do the right thing.   Rush is explaining to Perry the plan to temporarily store her consciousness in the computer. He promises to find a way to get perry into a new body. That has been her dream since the accident. A dream that nobody could ever have thought could be remotely possible.   TJ is finally ready but Volker and Greer have gone to the hydroponic dome. It's the closest thing to a backyard they have. Greer is trying to calm and comfort Volker. I think from here onward, there's gonna be a special bond between these two characters. I'll be keeping a specific eye out for that from here on, this time.   Greer tells Volker “we're gonna be fine.” He's very optimistic. At least, that's what he shows on the outside. Who knows what's going on inside.   With them all in the medical bay, ready to go, Brody tries to comfort them all by playing some music. It's the theme from 2001. Volker's favourite. But he quickly realises that the bombastic melody is hardly relaxing and not very appropriate. He tries to stop it but drops his music player, which proceeds to play some very funny-sounding silly music. Perhaps a guilty pleasure of Brody's. He looks incredibly embarrassed as he fumbles to stop the music. Another amusing scene. Stargate Universe is doing a good job incorporating some humour into the show, in a way that doesn't pull you out of the seriousness of the story. It doesn't get enough credit for that. As you know by now, I'm fine having a serious show without any humour, but I'm also fine with this type of humour. But some people just seem to want everything to be a Marvel movie. I like Marvel, but I don't want their tone in everything, especially stories I take very seriously.   Now it's Eli's turn to talk to Ginn before the procedure. He encourages her that this will only be temporary. Eli and Rush both believe that, although neither of them has any clue how they could possibly get these consciousnesses into new bodies. This isn't Star Trek Picard.   That's when Ginn stars choking again   TJ is already in the middle of surgery. Young tells her they need to do the transfer now. She can't leave. She'll be in this surgery for a good 4 hours. So Young is gonna have to do it without her.   But something weird happens with the computer. Everything is offline. Putting Volker's operation at risk as well as the chair transfer.   After a little argument about which consciousness is which, Rush and Eli manage to upload two minds from Chloe's body into the computer. But which ones?   TJ can't do the surgery without the computer to guide her. Then Amanda Perry appears, as a mental projection from the ship. She can help. She is a scientist and she has access to all the ship's medical knowledge. Once again, Destiny is helping her crew.   Brody and Park question TJ who seems to be talking to herself. But when she says “I'll explain later,” they take it at face value and go with it. After all the weird things they've seen, that's the correct thing to do. And TJ has this authority in the way she says it. She doesn't have time to explain. She's the doctor here. She needs them to trust her.   Rush has confirmed there are two new programs on the computer. One is active - that's Perry. Looks like both of their mental patterns have been saved.   The surgery is complete. With Perry's help, TJ has saved Volker and Greer. Now they've just gotta wait to see if Volker's body rejects the kidney. Greer is insistent. He won't.   And Communication is back online. Finally. Telford appears to tell them there were some issues with the stones at their end which took a few days to fix, but the bomb was diffused. Washington is safe. That's gotta be a big relief.   Rush goes to the bridge, hoping to see Perry. He does. She's projected there.   Brody and Volker have a very close bond, but it's a typical male friendship. They'd do anything for each other, but they find it difficult and uncomfortable to express that care verbally.   Greer has a little infection but it should be fine   Ginn finally appears to Eli. She says that seeing him, hearing his voice. It's enough for now. But as she tries to touch his face, and her hand passes straight through his body, I'm not sure either of them truly believes that.   And that brings me to my big question for the episode. If they hadn't succeeded with the chair, Ginn and Perry would have been lost.   If you had lost a loved one, and you had the chance to bring them back temporarily, to speak one last time, but after that's you'd have to lose them all over again, would you do it?   I'm not sure. It's hard to put myself in the position of having lost of a wife. Maybe it would depend on how things ended. Did I get closure? Did we get to say goodbye? I suspect I'd do anything to see and hear her again, but then that pain of losing her a second time, I don't know if I'd be able to bear that.   Anyway, hold this thought, because we may come back to this in a few episodes.   Hope was another fantastic episode of Stargate Universe, delving into themes of selflessness and self-sacrifice. Wonderful character story.   Next time, we'll be talking about a very exciting episode. And we'll see a couple of familiar faces. I can't wait to delve into Seizure.   Until then, have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper   Make it so.    

We've been expecting it all season, but finally, the Lucian Alliance make their move against Earth. And Camille and Greer are stuck in the middle of it. This is an exciting episode, but also a deeply character-centric episode. Let's talk about the Stargate Universe episode "Alliances". ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd   This is episode 84 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Alliances”.   The description on Gateworld reads While a U.S. Senator visits Destiny, Camille and Sgt. Greer are trapped when Homeworld Command comes under alien attack.   This episode was written by Linda McGibney It was directed by Peter DeLuise And it first aired on the 21st of March 2011.   This episode picks up right after Twin Destinies, dealing with the fallout of all that happened.   Telford, the alternate timeline Telford, has arrived back on Destiny using the communication stones. He wants to know what happened. Young and Rush explain the whole time-travel thing. They speculate on what happened to everyone else who went through the gate. Rush says they were likely just killed.   When Telford asks what happened to the other version of him, Young simply says that he died trying to retrieve technology from the other destiny. It was an accident. He doesn't say who caused that accident. That's got to be a lot to take in. How would you react to something like that? Technically, you're no longer in the timeline that you belong to, but the version of you here is now dead.   He visibly shakes it off and says he's fine. He gets it. Well…understanding intellectually what happened is one thing. Figuring out how you're supposed to feel about it? That's something else.   But Telford has been in the Stargate program long enough to know that weird stuff happens.   This is when we learn that a senator is coming on board. She wants to decide if it's worth spending money to try finding another Icarus-style planet so they can send more people and equipment to Destiny, in particular, Rush's “message from God” , a name that he objects to. But this revelation has understandably created quite a stir back home.   If they do manage to get a working wormhole to Destiny, it still only means they can send. Nobody on the ship is getting home that way. Remember that stargate wormholes are one-way.   It certainly would be a game-changer for them to get some supplies from Earth. Food. Medicine. Even entertainment. All of those things would make a significant improvement to the crew's quality of life.   Camille is going to swap bodies with the senator so she can check in with the IOA. They also need a male volunteer. This is confirmation that they actively try to match the sex of the people swapping bodies. It makes a lot of sense. Less awkward that way. Camille suggests Greer. He hasn't used the stones since they arrived here. He was borderline unstable when they came here (remember he was in the brig for attacking Telford). It's funny, but I think Greer is doing better since he ended up stranded on this ship. He's got it a lot more together than he did in the pilot. This mission has been good for him. Perhaps helped him figure out what's really important.   He argues with Camille that he doesn't need R&R. He sees himself as the perfect soldier. He doesn't need rest. Greer IS a good soldier. One of the best, probably. But this is his big weakness. None of us are perfect. We all need basic things like rest. His unwillingness to accept that about himself could be a big problem for him and is likely at the root of his previous issues.   Camille and Greer are greeted with a very cold reception on Earth. They're challenged to identify themselves and provide authentication codes at gunpoint. Now, authenticating a stone user is only common sense, and is a normal part of the procedure, but it's the way they're doing it. The gun, the aggressive tone.   Telford explains. Earth is on a high terrorist alert. Nothing has happened yet but they're expecting the Lucian Alliance to attack Earth at any time. That's scary.   And the target is homeworld command in Washington.   Eli, Brody, and Volker are wondering who this guy is that's been sent to check up on them. His name is Dr. Covel. He's the new head of research at Stargate Command. Rush has worked with him before. Interestingly, Covel is played by an actor named French Stewart, who played Ferretti in the original Stargate movie, but not in SG-1. So that's cool.   Senator Michaels wants a final and straight answer. Is dialling the stargate from within a star a feasible way to get home? Covel says the numbers looked good, but agrees with Rus that conditions within a star are inherently unpredictable. He's just sad nobody was able to go over the logs on the other Destiny before it was destroyed. AT the time, getting spare parts was more important than validating alternate Rush's story.   Michaels is almost assuming that the other Rush lied about what really happened. She claims that her opinion of Rush is based entirely on Young's reports. And while Young admits they've had their differences, He still stands by the decision he made to support Rush and remain behind with him, with sufficient volunteers.   Rush listens in a little to this conversation before making his presence known.   Michaels evades Rush's question of ‘what are we talking about' with a request to see Chloe. She's known the family since Chloe was a little girl.   Young gives Rush a knowing look. Rush wouldn't have asked what they were talking about if he hadn't already known the answer.   Back on earth, they're sweeping the base for radiation. There have been some off-world bases where Lucian alliance people have planted naquadria bombs. One of those would do more than destroy Washington. It would probably destroy the whole of North America. And an explosion that big would probably affect the whole world. Luckily it's all clear.   Greer wants to stay at homeworld command and help. He knows the Lucian Alliance. He's lived with them and he never trusted them. I think there's a bit of a subtle dig at Telford here, who was brainwashed into being one of their operatives. But Telford dismisses Greer. Those two have a lot of history between them.   There's some unresolved conflict between Greer and Camille as well. He doesn't believe any of the intel the prisoners on board destiny provided. He thinks they should have done more to prevent the coming attack. And then it happens.  As the building shakes, and the ceiling begins to collapse, Greer drags Camille out of the way, saving her life.   They find Chloe on the bridge. Covel is impressed by what he sees. Chloe is delighted to see Michaels. Chloe has been working on improving the ship's navigation. They're continuing to put her new knowledge to good use.   The main difference between Rush and Covel is that Covel seems a lot more personable. He actually has some warmth for Rush, while Rush seems very cold toward Covel.   Rush plays him a recording of the fingerprint. The message Destiny was sent to follow. Covel can see the structure, even though the message is millions of years old, recorded on technology he doesn't understand and filtered through algorithms he couldn't begin to comprehend. But he's not sure he believes this whole thing. He can't transmit the data back home to be analysed properly by a whole team of people. With the stones, it's all word of mouth. They have to trust what Rush tells them. Covel is worried about the political aspects of all this. A lot of people will see this as proof of the existence of God, and some of them will try to twist this to further their own agendas. And then there will be those on the other side who try to bury and suppress the whole thing. I like how Covell doesn't just demonise religious people here. He's more even handed than that. He sees that there will be people on both sides wanting to further their own agenda with all of this. But one thing seems likely, this will become the greatest controversy of all time, to those who know about it.   But Rush sees this as Covel not wanting to pick a side because he's not sure which is gonna win.  Michaels seems to feel a special responsibility for getting Chloe home. Unlike the rest of the crew, she and Eli are not members of Stargate command. The others signed up to work on some distant planet filled with danger, even though they may not have anticipated getting stranded so far from home. Michaels never thought that life was for Chloe. Her father had such plans for her. It seems like such a waste. But I don't think Chloe feels the same way about her life. Remember, last time, she was one of the first to volunteer to remain on Destiny instead of gating home. It's been a while since we've seen an earth-bound story on SGU. One of the things that make the Stargate franchise unique and special is its present day setting. Yes, we get aliens and spaceships and distant planets, but we also see our own familiar world with cars and shops and pizza.   Telford is among the survivors who have escaped outside. Camille and Greer are trapped under a whole lot of rubble. Camille manages to dig herself free. She finds Greer and helps him out. Greer's knee is twisted. He's kind of stuck under the concrete. And that means that Covel's knee is twisted, because that's his body Greer is using. It's such a responsibility being in someone else's body, isn't it. The building shakes and a whole lot more rubble falls. The explosions have weakened the structure of the building.   Camille uses sticky tape to make a brace for Greer's leg. It works. These two are doing better than a lot of others. They've found some survivors, who are in bad shape. They find some who are already dead.   Camille manages to get a radio signal out to Delford. Turns out the explosion was a cloaked Goa'uld cargo ship. It crashed into the building. The point of impact was near the comm room where the stones live. Camille and Greer shouldn't still be on earth. That means the stones must still be connected somehow. Telford is concerned there is no way they'd launch an attack just with a single cargo ship, without packing a little something extra. Maybe a bomb on board as yet unexploded. That means they need to get out of there. Soon.   Young and Scott are escorting Michaels around the ship, giving her the tour. They introduce her to TJ and Varo.   Michaels wants a private word with TJ. She knows the pressure TJ has been under trying to keep all these people alive. TJ is feeling pretty upbeat about her work. Things have been easier since they unlocked the medical database. But she's only had a medic's training. She's not a doctor.  TJ doesn't think they're likely to find many volunteers, even if they could manage to dial Destiny. It's knowing they might never return home. How many people would be willing to make that kind of one way trip. I suspect TJ might be surprised.   The survivor's way out is blocked. Telford is trying to get a bomb disposal crew to deal with the ship, but he's not overly hopeful. They think the bomb is naquadria and they've started evacuations. What exactly do they think evacuation can do? Evacuate to where? This is naquadria.   Camille has an interesting idea. If they can't get out, and the bomb team are having trouble getting to the ship, maybe she, Greer, and the other survivor should go for the bomb. It makes a lot of sense, actually.   Telford has concerns. It's very risky. And he rightly points out that they're not even in their own bodies. They're risking the lives of Covel and Michaels by doing this. But, if that bomb goes off, they're all dead. That will kill Covel and Michaels anyway.   So Covel goes to meet Eli and gushes all over what he calls The Boy Wonder. Meanwhile, Brody and Volker are like “Hey. We work here too.” A nice little bit of humour that makes perfect sense in character and in the situation.   Covel wants to know what Eli really thinks about Rush's discovery. Camille wants Greer to stop playing the hero, just once, and think a little about how they go about getting to the ship. This situation gives Greer a chance to really have it out with Camille. Seems he has some issues with her. In particular, he has a problem with people who talk and talk and nothing gets done. He doesn't think she knows him. She knows a file on a desk.    Camille thinks he's afraid of her because she helps people, but she can only do that if they are willing to admit they have a problem and that's something Greer refuses to do.   Greer thinks she wants to feel like she makes a difference but in reality, she just takes up space. This is a great dramatic character scene for these two. I love it.   The other survivor interrupts their argument long enough to find the tech who was sweeping the building. He's dead but the Geiger counter is working. We get some great acting from Ming Na as Camille responds to the gruesome body. Ming Na tends to play really tough characters. Camille is a very different role for her. Oh, she's still a very strong person, but not in the physical sense, like most of the actresses' roles. And I think she's brilliant. So The whole area is flooded with radiation. Deadly levels. There's a very sombre moment when Greer says “so if we stay here much longer we'll die.” And Camille says “No. We're dead already.” I have no words to respond to that.   Michaels hasn't finished her assessment but she has some concerns. It took a long time to get the first Icarus base up and running. Even if they could find a planet tomorrow, which is very doubtful, and they got presidential approval, it would still take at least 6 months before they could dial the ship. Covel bluntly says he doesn't think the crew will last that long. He doesn't think Destiny will last that long. He blames Young and his crew for that. Since they arrived, they've brought  Destiny to the brink of destruction multiple times. And … well….he's not wrong about that. I'm not sure he can really blame them for most of that, although it was their deliberate decision to go exploring recently that led to the ship's significant battle damage from the drone ships.   Camille is feeling really guilty. They've doomed Michales and Covel. It's their bodies that are flooded with radiation. The airman still wants to try to get out. Camille doesn't even see the point. It's over.   Destiny is about to drop out of FTL which means the stone connection will be temporarily interrupted. Michaels and Covel find themselves trapped under rubble, their bodies flooded with lethal radiation. While they freak out, Camille quickly reports to Young.  And that's when the airman decides to hold something sharp to Camille's neck, ordering Greer to put down his own gun or he'll kill her.   In an example of really unfortunate timing on Young's part, he decides to disconnect the stones long enough to get a proper report from Camille and Greer, which would leave Michaels with a weapon to her neck and Covel pointing a gun at the airman. What could possibly go wrong?   But nothing happens. Young removes the stones, but Michals and Covel are still connected. That's weird.   The airman is trying to get them all to look for an escape. He still thinks there's a chance they can survive. Camile doesn't want Greer to drop the gun. Even if she dies, he can still go and disarm the bomb.   She thinks if the airman gets the gun he'll kill them both. He's Lucian Alliance. Greer shoots the guy.   Ironically, it was Camille's knowledge of personal files that helped her identify who this guy really was. She proves it by uncovering a clan tattoo. The plan was probably to just land the cloaked ship on the roof and walk away. I think the show might be redefining just what a destructive force naquadria is. It must be a tiny tiny amount. Which does make sense, since it is so rare in the galaxy.   The radiation is spiking, which means they're getting close. They've found the hull. Camille tries to tell Telford she's found the bomb, but her radio isn't working. Too much radiation. There is nobody to tell her how to disarm the bomb.   Rush is trying to figure out why the stones are not disconnecting. They've seen radiation cause interference  before, but they're still there, which means the signal is getting through. So the radiation is just interfering with the commands of the system.   Covel has done a lot of research into the stones. He might be able to solve this problem.   Varro knows he's probably the last person Young wants to see right now, being former Lucian Alliance, but he can tell them how to diffuse the bomb. If only they could get that information to Camille and Greer somehow. Young's question is, how can he trust that Varo is telling the truth?   Eli has a good idea. They could jump to FTL which would interrupt the stones again. They'll have about 12 seconds at the most to explain the disarming process. But they only just dropped out which means they could blow up the engine. Eli thinks they can live with it, but they can only do it once. OTherwise they'll completely destroy the engines. It's a reasonable plan, but once again, the crew will be bringing Destiny to the brink of destruction.   Camille figures out some of it herself. The bomb is covered by a hologram that prevents you from seeing what you're doing, so you have to disarm by feel alone.   Chloe has a chat with Michaels. Explaining how she was going to voluntarily stay in the other timeline. She tells Michaels what this mission means to her. How she feels like she's part of something important. Chloe is probably the only person who Michaels will truly receive this message from. This may be the only way to convince her to keep supporting this mission.   They get their 12 seconds. Varro explains as quickly as he can. They get back before he's entirely finished, or so it seems. Varro doesn't know if they understood. But Camille and Greer are doing their best. At least they have some idea what they're doing now. But they both missed the last part.   This is when Rush reveals that Covel has been sabotaging their attempts to disconnect the rings. He doesn't deny it. He saw the radiation levels when he went home. He knows their bodies are as good as dead.   He needed time to think. Rush tries to remind him of what happens when somebody who is connected dies. The people at both ends die. Covel argues that Doctor Perry was in a weakened state. They don't know for sure what will happen this time. Again, more awesome callbacks. All these episodes tie together like a beautiful tapestry.   In Young's view, Covel is trying to steal Greer's body, since his own is no good. Why do they get to live and we don't, Covel says. They put us in this position. It was easy for them to take a risk because they weren't going to have to suffer the consequences. And that's a heavy statement. And it may be true. As careful as Camille and Greer were, as guilty as they now feel, you can't tell me that even subconsciously, just a little, they might have been more open to risk in somebody else's body. It would be human nature. We are, at our core, selfish beings by nature.   This is a very difficult moral dilemma. But to Young it's pretty clear. Covel will be going back to die in his own body. He doesn't get a choice.   If I had to make the decision, I'd probably make the one Young has just made, but, I tell you, it would take a lot of soul-searching to do it. It certainly wouldn't be easy. Honestly, I don't know if I could do it.   Speaking of dilemmas, Camille and Greer have one of their own. They're not sure of the last step. They could try something, but that could make the bomb go off. It's gonna go off anyway, but every second the bomb doesn't go off, is another second the evacuees have to get further away from the danger. Camille's voice cracks as she says it. What an emotional ride.   They seem to have settled on just waiting for it to happen. Their death is already certain.   And that gives them the chance for another quiet character monet together. Camille is sorry they never got along better. They're just so different. Greer is a man of action. He likes to do things. Camille likes to talk them through. Greer says well we're not going anywhere, so let's talk. But Camille can't think of anything else to say. Which Greer and I both find quite amusing.   Varo has time to fully educate Michaels and Covel on how to disarm the bomb, including that elusive last step. So when Rush disconnects the stones, which he can now do, they'll be able to save the day.   Michaels last words before she's ready to go are to ask Young to tell Chloe she's proud of her. Michaels knows she is going to her death. So does Covel. It's hard for me to begin to imagine a moment like that. Knowing that you're going to have to die, and there's no way out.   They appear back on Earth and do disarm the bomb. The inevitable death of Michaels and Covel really tears my guts apart.   Back on Destiny, it's been hours. Greer and Camille are still waiting for news from Earth. They haven't managed to get a connection yet, but they have somebody on stone duty around the clock.   Camille is worried about Sharon, who lives in DC. Greer is thinking of his Mum. Things haven't been all that good between them. There are a lot of things he wishes he never got to say to her last time he had the chance.   I think he's finally ready for a trip back home, if and when that becomes an option.   This was another fantastic episode of Stargate Universe. The writing, both in terms of character and plot, was top notch. This was Linda McGibney‘s first script as a new staff writer, and I think she nailed it. And some wonderful performances from the actors as well.   It's the big set piece episodes that tend to stick out in my memory, but this one is from now on definitely a favourite.   Next time, we'll see a surprise return from a character we thought was dead. In the episode Hope.   Until then, have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so.  

Here's a bonus episode for you. While I've been a life-long fan of DC Comics characters such as Superman and Batman, I've never really been a comic reader. But that is changing thanks to DC Universe Infinite. I talk about the service, and my experience trying to break into the complex world that is DC Comics. I also share some mini reviews of: * Superman Secret Origin * Superman: Last Son * Batrman Year 1 * The Flash: Born to Run  

In this fan favourite episode of Stargate Universe, Eli believes he can dial the gate back to Earth from inside a star, but Rush wants to remain behind with a team to complete Destiny's mission. But when the attempt thrusts Destiny and Rush back through time, they have to re-think their plan. Lots of drama in this one. But what did I think of it? ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, The author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd.   This is episode 83 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode, Twin Destinies.   This is our second time-travel story in Stargate Universe. Notice I said story, not episode. That's because the time-travel element of this story will reach beyond just this episode.   The description on gateworld reads Rush expresses concerns when Earth approves Eli's plan to dial the Stargate home from inside a star -- and is proved right when a duplicate of himself shows up with a warning from the future.   This episode was written by Brad Wright It was directed by Peter DeLuise And it first aired on the 14th of March 2012   Destiny is in bad shape. Remember, it went through a massive space battle in the last two episodes and that damage has not been magically fixed. Again, something I wish Voyager had done more of. We don't get a lot of space battles in Stargate Universe, but when we do, they matter. They have consequences.   Most systems are technically working, but Brody says it best. “We're down to our last everything. There is no redundancy left.”   Rush's perspective is that there's nothing we can do about it, so let's quit whinging and carry on with the mission as best we can. It's not like we have a choice.   But Eli thinks there may be a choice. Back in early season 1, the brains back on Earth formulated a plan to get the crew home. The idea was to dial the stargate while inside a star. Telford was a big proponent of this plan, although technically, that was alternate Telford, under the control of the Lucian Alliance.   The plan never worked and it was shelved, but recently, Eli and Gin started working on it again. Gin had some new insights to offer. Eli believes he can now dial the gate while Destiny recharges, without blowing up the ship. He has a simulation to prove it.   Rush doesn't think the plan can account for the many things that could go wrong. But, of course, Rush doesn't want to go home anyway. He says the plan could cause the same kind of overload that happened at Icarus, which would destroy the ship. Scott doesn't see why that's a problem, if they've all successfully gated home, but Rush makes it plainly clear that he intends to remain on board, even if everyone else gates home. He wants to stay here and complete the mission.   Young admits he was on board with trying to fulfil Destiny's mission, but things have changed. They're in really poor shape, and his first responsibility is to the people on this ship.   I don't blame him. In his position, if he has a viable plan for getting home, he has to try it. He owes that to his people.   But I do feel for Rush as well, who would choose to remain. I think he should have that choice, but it may be taken away from him if the attempt will destroy the ship.   Young has banned Rush from anywhere he can push buttons, including the bridge. Armed guards are in place to enforce it. He's not taking any chances that Rush might sabotage the attempt. And I wouldn't put it past him. He's done stuff like that before.   But Rush may have some genuine concerns regarding this plan. He points out that Eli is not an astro-physicist. He's a maths whizz. But the inside of a star is inherently unpredictable. The best mathematical model can't predict the unpredictable. But then, that's why Eli is running it all past the best minds of Earth. It'll be interesting to see if they agree with Rush, as he suspects.   Rush wants to address the crew, to try to make his case for the importance of remaining on the ship. He says it'll carry more weight if Young stands beside him. And it warms my heart when Young says “I can do that.”   Young doesn't trust Rush as far as he can throw him, but I do like it when they work together like this.   Rush seems satisfied.   Telford is very dismissive of Rush. He can't imagine why anyone would want to stay. He hasn't been here long and he's ready to leave, which is interesting, given how desperate lucian-controlled Telford was to get on board back in season 1.   But there's a nice shot of Young at the end of the scene. You can tell, by his facial expression, that he's thinking deeply about all of this. He's taking all opinions seriously, including Rush's.   It's so cool to see Doctor Lee again. He's the one who has traded places with Eli using the stones. He's surprised that “The Gamer” came up with this model. But I seem to remember Doctor Lee being quite into World of Warcraft. Although, technically, that was a false Doctor Lee created by energy beings in the Pegasus Galaxy, based on the crew's memories. I always thought that Lee came across geekier than normal in that episode, which might make sense, since that's probably how Doctor Weir viewed him.   I know this is off-track, but it's just cool to see a familiar background character from SG-1 and Atlantis.   There's an amusing moment between Brody and Eli. Brody tells Lee that Eli is possibly the smartest person he's met, but doesn't want Eli to know. It gets super awkward when he realises Eli heard part of the comment.   But it's actually a little sad when we can't bring ourselves to tell people what we really think about them. I think the world could use a little more positive encouragement like that. As people, we're always so quick to point out the negative, but too often, the positive goes unsaid.   Anyway, the people back on Earth are happy with Eli's maths. The plan is a go. They drop out of FTL and everyone gathers in the gateroom.   Rush is looking a little nervous. Is he going to be able to convince anyone?   Young approaches Rush and asks a very interesting question.  “Can you operate this ship?” “With some help.” “What's the minimum you need to be able to do it? I need a number.” Rush says twelve. And then Young says “plus you and me?” Rush is very taken aback. What? Is Rush thinking of staying? “No, including,” he says. “So ten.”   Before they can talk more, Telford calls them to the bridge.   Something very weird is happening. They've received a subspace transmission from Rush. He's aboard the shuttle, except the shuttle is currently docked with destiny.   The alternate Rush warns them not to dial Earth, or they'll all die. He says the only reasonable explanation is that he's somehow travelled back through time. I love Telford's reaction to this, as he scoffs under his breath “reasonable explanation.” C'mon Mate. You're on a spaceship billions of lightyears from Earth. You know time travel is possible.   Rush is from 12 hours in the future. And he gives strong evidence for his story by recounting their previous conversation about the number. Ten plus two.   Back in the gateroom, people are eagerly waiting to go home. Scott tells Chloe how he was so excited to go on this mission, but now, all he can think of is seeing his son. Nice that they're remembering and acknowledging that detail.   But Scott is more nervous about meeting Chloe's mum than he is going through the Stargate.   Eli wants to make sure that once they return to Earth, they're all going to continue hanging out.   Scott says there'll be a reunion every year. Eli was hoping for something more regular. But it all depends if he'll be stationed on Earth. Eli is a little taken aback. Stargate Command are not going to ask him to join. And everyone else is a little taken aback by that. Of course they're going to ask him. He'll be right up there with Doctor Jackson, Colonel Carter, and who was that guy who kept staring at your…” Mackay, James says. That's awkward. I'd like to hope that Mackay and Dr. Kellar are married and enjoying their happily ever after at this point. But who knows.   TJ is right about that, of course. The SGC would be insane not to put Eli to work somewhere.   There are looks of concern when Scott and Greer are asked to report to shuttle bay two. Especially since they only have one shuttle.   The being that emerges from the shuttle certainly looks like Rush. He rushes at Telford, saying “He's gonna try to kill you all. Don't listen to him.” That's when Young calls TJ to the infirmary.   He's got a burn from an overload. Explosions all over the ship. The air got so toxic he had to abandon ship. But the time travel must have happened inside the star. They must have passed through a solar flare just as they locked in the nine chevron address. But rather than re-directing the wormhole, it seems to have thrust the entire ship back through time. So a new twist on an existing established method of time travel in the Stargate universe.   They also suggest that the Destiny from the future is still out there somewhere.   Future Rush starts to recount what happened in his timeline. After they agreed on the number, 10 volunteers, Young explained his offer. Basically, if they get ten volunteers, they'll remain behind.   In his speech, he repeats what we know of Destiny's mission. Over a million years ago, the ancients discovered the fingerprint of an intelligence from very near the beginning of the universe. Destiny was launched to find that intelligence. They didn't dedicate an entire generation to making this ship on a whim. They saw it as very important.   Of course, this doesn't explain why the ancients never followed through on this mission. We still don't know why that was.   If they abandon this ship now, there'll be no coming back. That knowledge will be lost forever. And he's probably right about that. This may be their one and only chance to discover the secrets that Destiny was created to uncover.   Rush can't do it alone. Despite all of his ego, his belittling of others, and his over-inflated sense of self, Rush needs others. He can't run the ship single handedly. So he asks them to stay with him.   Young takes over. He believes those who want to go home deserve that chance. But he joined Stargate Command for a reason. So he is willing to stay aboard with Rush. And I have to say, this is huge. This is a huge gesture on Young's part. Honestly, Rush couldn't ask more of him. What Young is asking for is ten volunteers. Those who want to be here step forward.   And I was shocked to see that the very first to step forward, with almost no hesitation, was Greer. Even though I've seen this episode more than once before, I never remember that detail, until it happens, and am surprised all over again. But at the same time, I'm not surprised. Because I can really see Greer making this choice. He is loyal and dedicated. At his heart, he's a good man who wants to do his bit.   Volker also steps forward, giving Brody a little look, as if to say, “you gonna come join me, Mate?”   TJ is next, which is interesting, because she was all set to retire from Stargate Command before she ended up here, but I guess she's been inspired by her experiences.   Scott doesn't want to stay. Remember, he's got a son back on earth. But when Chloe steps forward, he had no choice but to follow her. That's the woman he loves, afterall.   Man, I hate the idea of having to choose between your spouse and your child. The difference for Scott is, he doesn't know his son. But he knows Chloe.   I think Chloe has been deeply impacted by her experience with the blue aliens. I don't think she'd fit in back on earth very well after all she's been through. And there's not really a place for her at the SGC. She worked for her father, the senator.   James also volunteers.   That's 6 so far.   Then a bunch of extras step forward. At this point, I think they've got their ten. Eli is thinking really hard. And he starts to move forward. But Telford has had enough. He has to speak out against this. “You've already accomplished our mission,” he says. “Our goal was to investigate the ninth chevron address and you've done that. I do not deny that there once was a mission, but if it was as important as Rush claims it to be, they sure as hell couldn't expect us to do it. There is no noble voyage to save the universe or to meet God, or whatever it is that Rush has sold you on. There is only the day that this ship dies.”   I'm not sure why Telford is so against this. Young is still going to allow those who want to go home to do so.   Maybe he genuinely doesn't want these people to throw away their lives on what he sees as a fool's errand.   Telford is convinced this mission will end in tragedy and failure. Young isn't so sure. “We don't know that.”   Telford has a mind to try taking them all home by force. I had a good laugh when Greer said “Good luck with that.” Yeah, my money is on Greer.   It's funny. Whenever I start watching this show, I find myself not really liking Greer, but by the time I reach this part of the show, I absolutely love the guy. He really grows on you as a character.   So now Telford takes charge for those still taking part in the evacuation. He orders them to form two straight lines.   They're going home with the clothes on their backs, because, as we learned in the pilot, everything you carry with you becomes a projectile when gating through a nine-chevron address.   Eli has wanted them to expect us but they can't radio across a wormhole of this distance. Telford is gonna go first, to warn them everyone is coming. “In fifteen minutes, we go home.”   Rush finishes his story. “And fifteen minutes after that, you were all dead.”   Camille sees this as a second chance. “Tell us what went wrong so we can do it differently this time.”   Eli's program is based on precise timing, and the required time is fast approaching.   They dialled successfully. They made the connection. You can feel the excitement as the wormhole engages. Telford yells “Wait three seconds then follow me,” and he steps through. But just as he does, we see that shimmer effect on the event horizon. We know what that means.   The wormhole is unstable and Eli's program can't compensate. Rush is trying to compensate manually. Credit to him, he may want to stay, but he's doing everything in his power to help those that want to get home to do so.   Rush gets it as good as he can. Young yells for them to go, and they start flooding through the gate.   At some point during all of this, they realise that the ship is overloading. It's going to explode, just like Icarus did. That means everybody has to go through. Even Rush and Eli. So much for Rush's dream of staying behind to fulfil the mission. I do feel sorry for him.   Rush holds the wormhole open long enough for Young and Greer to escape. The wormhole disengages. He's left alone on Destiny.   Rush just stood there waiting for the end to come, but the ship fought to stay alive.   He uses the stones to check in with Stargate Command. He asks how many made it through. But it was only one. Telford. Telford, who was so determined to get home, who is now standing back on board Destiny in Rush's body, waiting for the ship to explode.   So what happened to everyone else who went through the gate?   Young calls off the attempt. And Telford wants to use the stones to confirm Rush's story with his other self.   So at this point I'm trying to get my head around which form of time travel this story is using.   Traditional time-travel doesn't cause people to be duplicated. Yes, you can go back in time and meet yourself, but you're both the same you, just at different points in your timestream.   In that theory of time travel, once Rush convinced Young to call off the attempt, that alternate Rush would cease to exist, because his history has been erased.   What we're seeing here is two distinct Rush's with different histories. This is the more modern idea of time travel where an incursion into the past creates a new timeline. A new parallel universe, if you like. That explains the continued existence of two contradictory Rushes and allows for this duplication idea, but if that were the case, then Telford shouldn't be able to find his other self back on earth, because that Telford is in a different timeline. Right?   This is where they find the other Destiny, just outside the star.   That's gotta be weird. It's almost like looking at their graves.   Eli is feeling very guilty. Everyone on that ship died because of him. His program. But Chloe says the only reason they're even in this situation is because they were trying to save her.   That kinda makes sense. It suggests they wouldn't have tried using Eli and Ginn's dialling program if the ship wasn't in such desperate trouble after the battle.   But they would have been in that battle regardless of Chloe. They got in that battle because they wanted to explore a strange reading. Not originally to save Chloe. Of course, if Chloe hadn't been modified, she wouldn't have been able to navigate them there. But at some point, you've got to stop following the blame breadcrumb and just accept what is.   Brody notices something interesting. Most of the damage to the alternate Destiny is confined to one side. That means they could salvage it for spare parts. There's that redundancy they were wanting.   When I first saw this episode it bugged me. You can't take parts from the ship to repair itself at a different point in time. It's all the one ship. But I was thinking about the traditional version of time travel. This is the more modern theory of time travel. The moment that ship went back in time, it left the original timeline, and entered our timeline. The timeline of the show. So that timeline now has no Destiny, and our Timeline has two. So, yes, there can be duplication, and you can salvage parts from the other ship.   They're going to board the other ship using the stargate. We learn here that unlike the gates in the milky way and Pegasus, the Destiny gates are not based on a known physical point of origin. Eli and the two Rushes just need to figure out the distance calculation.   The crew are briefed up on what to look for. The most people they have, the quicker they can get it done.   The two Rushes go over together. It must be weird having another of yourself, with only a few hours of difference in memory. I'm not sure how I'd react to that. Yeah…it would be weird.   But you know they're going to do something to get rid of one of them by the end of the episode. But hold that thought, because we'll come back to it.   Eli is really struggling with the guilt. If Rush hadn't been sent back in time by a freak of physics, they'd all be dead now. Killed by Eli's program.   That's got to be hard to take.   You see, for all his faults, Rush is often right.   I like the tension of these scenes. If this was a Voyager episode, they'd probably have introduced some random aliens to add extra danger, but here, the only threat is the clock. And that's enough, especially as we see the ship slowly exploding as it gets closer and closer to the sun.   One Rush has an idea: Take the weapon batteries. Double Destiny's firepower. It's not on the list. But it could be beneficial.   What's really interesting to me is that Rush and Rush disagree on whether they should take it. It's interesting how just an hour or so of peril can change a person's perspective.   The one who wants to stay and take it is the older of the two, which surprises me. I'd have thought it would be the other way around.   Things take a bit of a darker turn. Telford doesn't believe older Rush's story about what happened in the other timeline. The valiant Rush holding the gate open for everyone else? Yeah right. It wouldn't be the first time Rush sabotaged something to get his own way and make Telford look stupid. Telford brings up the first time they tried dialling from inside a star. Rush sabotaged that attempt. We still don't know for certain if he was right or wrong to do so, but I think it's most likely he was right.   What do you think? Who is right here? I tend to believe Rush, but as Telford points out, nobody else survived to verify his story. Things get physical. Rush accuses Telford of being the coward, of not believing in the mission. He got them killed with his insistence on dialling home. Not Rush.   And when Rush pushes Telford, he collides with the live weapon's battery, nicely foreshadowed earlier. And he dies.   The acting from Robert Carlyle here is brilliant. He really is good at what he does, and is deserving of his star status. Rush didn't mean to kill Telford, but he just did. And he's horrified at what happened. How is he going to explain this? Oh crap.   So that's how they deal with the fact that there are now two Telfords in our timeline. They've just killed off our Telford. The alternate Telford is back on earth, having made it through the gate.   I thought it was really cool when they brought Telford onto the ship at the end of season 1. It was nice to have him in Destiny with everyone else. And he stuck around for half a season. But we really didn't see that much of him. Almost as soon as he was here, he got stranded on the seed ship. As soon as we get him back, he dies.   I was disappointed by this back in the day, wondering why they did that. But I think it was likely for real world reasons. Lou Diamond Phillips wasn't a main cast member. He was a semi-regular guest star. I get the impression he was quite a well-known actor outside of Stargate Universe, so he was likely expensive to keep around all the time.   Pity.   Camille has reported to Earth that they're alive and well. And as soon as alternate Telford heard this, he insisted on using the stones to come to the ship, preferably, replacing himself. As Camille says, that's weird.   Our Rush, and Scott find Colonel Telford's body. It's a horrible moment for everyone. Rush thinks he knows where the other Rush is. He runs off to…do something.   Young orders Scott to let him go. They only have a few minutes left.   Alternate Rush explains it was an accident. Our Rush believes him, but warns that the others won't.   Our Rush asks the alternate what really happens. He simply replies “I told you what happened.” He's got no reason to lie, so I assume he was probably being truthful. But who really knows with Rush.   So where did Rush go? The chair room. He figures he's got nothing left to live for at this point. He might as well sit in the ancient chair and see what he can learn. This makes a lot of sense. This is a very Rush thing to do.   So alternate Rush sits, and our Rush activates the chair for him.,   What he experiences, what he learns, we may never know. But he is engulfed in smoke. Kinda like Franklin was.   But whatever he might become gets swallowed as the alternate destiny explodes in the star.   Our Rush makes it through.   You can tell by their facial expressions that Young, Eli and Camille have suspicions. Did Rush do something to Telford so they could continue with the mission? Has he done anything bad during this ordeal to ruin their chances?   From what I've seen, no, he hasn't. Not our Rush. The other Rush killed Telford, but it WAS an accident.   But Young has many historical reasons to doubt Rush.   The way they got rid of alternate Rush in this episode made a lot of sense. It was a good way to go, from his perspective. But you remember how I said we knew they'd find some way to get rid of him so we wouldn't have two Rushes? What if they hadn't? What if they'd kept him around for a while and there were literally two Rushes walking around the ship? Can you imagine?   Farscape did this. Two exact versions of one of the characters. Absolutely no sense that one was more real than the other. They were both completely real and equal. And that show did some amazing stuff with the concept.   I think there could have been some interesting drama that SGU could have milked out of the similar situation with Rush. What they did was fine, but I still wonder about what could have been.   So that episode was a lot better than I remembered. Some great stuff, and it will definitely have an impact later in the season.   Next time, Camilla and Greer are gonna get stuck in the middle of an alien attack on earth as the Lucian Alliance finally make their move. I'll see you then for the episode Alliances.   Until then, have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so.  

The second half of Stargate Universe season 2 begins with "Deliverence". We see the fulfilment of the Chloe transformation story, and possibly the end of the blue aliens, and the resolution of the battle with the drone ships. But is it over? We'll be seeing the consequences of this encounter for some time. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd   This is episode 82 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode Deliverance.   The description on Gateworld reads With Destiny up against a fleet of drones, the crew is surprised by the arrival of an old foe. Chloe faces her former captors when the crew decide to hand her over.   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie It was directed by Peter DeLuise And it first aired on the 7th of March 2011   So this episode was the first to air after the mid-season break. That means, we have a new prologue recap thing. And this will be the last variation we'll see.   This one starts very dramatically with booming drums and rapid shots of our characters. The clips focus on Rush's discovery of Destiny's mission, and his choice to keep that knowledge from the crew, as well as Young's self-doubt about his ability to command, and Scott's faith in him. Finally, it addresses the planned Lucian Alliance attack on earth and the tension between getting home and fulfilling Destiny's mission.   So we left off last episode with Destiny geting pummeled by the alien drone fighters, almost sure to be destroyed, and Chloe, not quite herself, rampaged through the ship to the control room, where she did something. We don't know what.   Greer rushes in, along with some othe soldiers. He points his gun at Chloe and tells her to stand down. Is this is? Is this where he's going to have to kill her? That's the moment he's been dreading.   Chloe explains to Scott what she did. She sent a message. The blue aliens, the ones who captured and modified her, they followed Destiny to this galaxy, and they've been searching for our heroes ever since. Now they know where we are.   And they sure can fly fasat. They arrive almost immediately.   Greer said she sold them out. He says he knew it was going to come down to him and her. But Chloe says “It's not time yet. I'm still in control. I did this to help us.”   The drone ships will attack anything. They don't discriminate, so half of them have gone to fight the blue aliens. That means Destiny might be able to hold them off.   They can't jump away to safety without an FTL drive. It seems the best option might still be to follow the plan of attacking the command ship. If they can disrupt the subspace signal between it and the drones, it might be enough.   The big question remains, were Chloe's actions a good or bad thing? For the moment, it seems it has given Destiny a fighting chance. But … what will come later, should they survive?   They succeed in destroying the command ship and the drones are all dormant. Great.   Two of the blue alien ships were destroyed. The other is just sitting there, probably just as damaged as destiny.   The ship's in bad shape. Not only do they still need to get FTL working again, but several of their shield emitters are gone. Without full shield coverage, they can't jump.   Volker and Brody are on the job.   Rush says that just because he took a pragmatic approach to Chloe's transformation, it doesn't mean he didn't care for her. If he could have prevented it, he would have. I wonder if that's true. Knowing what she would become, knowing she'd be able to crack the equations. And he could have prevented her transformation, would he really have done so? I don't know.   The ursini sent a message to their homeworld after the command ship was destroyed. The response came back from another command ship. Their homeworld has fallen to the drones. The Ursini on the seed ship are probably the last of their kind.   And that's really sad.   But there's a bigger problem. When they sent the signal, they gave their position away. That means there are more drones on the way.   The FTL drive is fixed, but the repairs to the shield are not going well.   The ursini believe the race that created the drones died out a long time ago. What I'd give to learn more about them. I wonder if they were destroyed by their own drones? That's a story that's been done before.   Because these things are machines, there is no negotiating with them. They have simple programming, find alien technology and destroy it.   Eli has an interesting idea. Right now, the drones are dormant and harmless. This would be a good time to bring one on board and study it.   Park is coming along for the ride. I think this might be her first away mission. She seems to be feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness.   They need Chloe's help but she's escorted under multiple armed guards. It turns out she broke Corporal Bear's arm.   Park is definitely nervous about her spacewalk. Greer encourages her to breath normally.   They've got the drone but the surviving alien ship, the blue aliens, has parked itself right next to the shuttle.   When Scott tries backing away, the send a message. No Escape.   Both ships are heavily damaged. Neither has FTL capability. And more drones are coming.   These two long-term enemies are going to have to trust each other and work together if anyone is to be able to survive the rest of this day.   Rush comes up with a controversial idea. Give them Chloe as a sign of good faith. There is nothing more medically we can do for her. If anyone can help her, it's them.   It's a risk, given how much she knows about Destiny.   Young is not going to force Chloe to go, but if she doesn't he'll probably end up putting her off the ship at the next habitable planet. He can't afford to keep her on board much longer.   TJ feels awful. She wishes they could have done more for her. But she just doesn't have the knowledge or ability.   Scott is skeptical that the aliens will really help Chloe or keep up any of their side of the bargain, but he follows orders.   Chloe isn't sure about going to the aliens. She's been on their ship before. It's not pleasant.   It's nice to see Young and Telford getting along so well nowadays. For that matter, he and Rush are getting along as well. The conflict between them is largly a thing of the past in this last half season of the show. I find this refreshing. Which is not to say I didn't want them to have done the conflict, but I appreciate the growth.   Now apparently, part of this deal is that the aliens will heal Chloe of her modification and return her? Rush isn't worried about what information they get about Destiny from her, because without her, they'll be unlikely to be able to track Destiny again.   I'm really not sure why they'd take deal. I mean, they modified Chloe for a reason. We still don't know what that reason is, but they had to have had a plan. So the'll be pretty unlikely to want to just undo it.   Camille comments that if she didn't know better, she'd think he was willing to risk the ship for one person, that person presumably being Chloe. He seems a little offended by this and says “That's the problem. You don't know any better.” So is he saying she doesn't understand his reasons for his opinions, or is he saying that he really does care about Chloe, and is willing to risk the ship for her, and Camille doesn't know him well enough to believe that? I'm not 100% sure.   So they escort Chloe down the cooridor. Young and Greer. And it's kind of like a dead-man walking situation, as somebody is taken to their death. Chloe gives Young a kiss goodbye on his cheek. It's a nice little touch. Young is probably the closest thing she has to a father figure since her father died.   How doe you study something like this alien drone? Brody and Volker are hesitant to open it. It could be dangerous, but Eli points out if they don't open it, they can't study it. Honestly, if they're that worried, they shouldn't have brought it on board. They could have tried studying it in the shuttle. That would then minimise the number of people put at risk.   Scott is flying the shuttle with Chloe on board as passenger. The docking bay opens and allows them in.   Scott and Chloe have a tender goodbye in the shuttle before the aliens open the door. It's a decent scene. But I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to feel. Is this supposed to be a final goodbye? If so, they're handling it way better than they should. Especially Scott.   If they're expecting Chloe to be healed and come back, then shouldn't that be a happy thing, something to look forward to?   I guess they just don't trust the aliens.    Chloe does make a good observation. Her time on Destiny has been hard, but some of it has been amazing. Scott has been one of those brights spots for her, but there have been others. Exploring alien planets, seeing amazing wonders, forming close bonds with the others on the ship.   As the door opens, I'm reminded of how much I love their design. They are really cool aliens. They just look so different, so other. If Chloe is going to spend the rest of whatever life she has left with them, it's going to be pretty horrible. For the simple fact that these beings are just so different to her, she'll never be able to relate to them. Humans with bumps, they are not.   So far Eli, Volker and Brody have managed to crack the machine code of the alien drone, but they haven't been able to decipher it's programming yet, specifically, where to find the subroutine that deals with communication between the drone and the command ship.   I have to say, that's astounding. That you could map out and reverse engineer the machine code of a completely alien device like this in a few hours. That's insane.   Rush is right when he says good job, this is excellent work. It is. It's nothing short of staggering.   But, of course, he's just trying to get rid of them as politely as possible, because they'll just get in the way of him and Eli doing the real work.   I've got to hand it to Rush. He's come a way. In early season 1, he'd rudley tell them to get out because they're too stupid to be of any use. But now, well, he flatters them, he patronizes them, in the hope that they'll take it as a complement and be more compliant. I guess from his perspective, he's realised that this is a more efficient approach.   They've got their work cut out for them. Trying to make sense of a program when all you've got to look at is the machine code would be very challenging. And that's if the machine code was developed in a human mind.   Honestly, I'm really not clear on this deal with the blue aliens. On Destiny's side, what we get out of it, seems to be that they allowed us to take the drone on board to study.   What they're getting out of it is Chloe.   But for reasons that still are not clear to me, they're expecting the aliens to reverse her transformation and return her. I still don't really understand what they are expecting this. If they do that, then what are the blue aliens getting out of this deal? Nothing.   Scott is in the shuttle. Waiting. He's still expecting Chloe to be returned to him. He's not leaving without her. And, interestingly, they haven't sent him on his way. He's still in their hanger bay.   The aliens are doing some kind of medical procedure on Chloe. This scene is pretty terrifying. It evokes every alien abduction story you've ever seen. Being tied to a bed while bizarre creatures poke and prod you with sharp implements.    Were I in Chloe's shoes, I'd be terrified, which she is. It's impressive how much fear an actor can evoke just with their eyes and their breathing.   Anyway, this was an awesome scene.   Ther second command ship has arrived, surrounded by new drones.   That's not good.   The old drones are still dormant. That's interesting. That means they're not taking orders from the new command ship. They seem to be coded to respons to a specific command ship.   Again, why would their creators have used such an inefficient design?   Rush can jam the signal between drone and command ship for a few seconds, but after that, they'll adapt.   Young is sitting in the captain's chair on the bridge. This may be his first time ever commanding a starship, but I guess there's a first time for everyone. When the SGC first created the Prometheus, somebody had to command it for the first time. No human had ever commanded a starship before that.   But it's even harder for Lieutenant James. She seems to be stationed at the engineering console. Her job is to keep vital systems protected and powered. She's had about one hour of training. Simulated. None of our people know how to operate this ship, and now they're heading into a combat situation.   The sheer lack of familiarity with the ship is what gives Stargate Universe such a unique flavour. And I love it.   Telford is on weapons.   Just a Scott hoped, Chloe is returned to the shuttle, held suspecnded in the air by a tractor beam which disengages when he grabs her.   She doesn't seem to be showing any sign of the crusty alien skin. Certainly it's no longer visible on her chest.   When Scott exists the alien ship, he notices the drones and wants to take them on. Young orders him to keep a distance. They're not here to fight, just hold out until they can jump.   Scott disobeys that order.   He does have a valid pointg to raise. His shuttle has full shields. Destiny does not. And it's probably proper for him to raise that with Young. But it's not sufficient cause to outright disobey an order. He just says “don't worry, we'll be fine.” He doesn't wait for Young to give a response to his point.   Stargate characters have a bit of a reputation for not always following orders, but I'm surprised by this, especially in a show as grounded as Stargate Universe.   Things are getting critical. Whatever Rush is gonna do, he's gonna have to do it soon. And Eli has a great idea. He';s found the friend or foe system. The older drones are not engaging in the battle because they don't have a command ship to tell them what side they should be on.    The plan is to tell them to attack the newer drones and its command ship. But in order to upload that instruction, they'll have to power up the drone they have in the lab.   This is a good plan. I know I'm giving the show a hard time about the characters drcyphering alien programming languages with such ease, but I understand you have to give your characters a break so the story can happen. My nature as a software engineer is at odds with my nature as a writer. This is why I don't often enjoy “computer shows”. And why many medical people can't watch medical dramas.   Young orders Scott to pull out of the area, adding the word “that's a direct order” and this time he obeys.   The Ursini, grieving that their people are gone, and they are the last of their kind, and feeling sorry for getting Destiny involved in all of this, begin a suicide run against the second command ship.   They ram the seed ship into the rcommand ship. But Young still tells Rush to enact his plan, so,  I assume they failed to destroy the command ship? That's sad. So the Ursini sacrificed themselves for literally nothing.   Once activated, the drone floats above the table but seems to take no other hostile action. Greer is there with a gun pointed at it, not that he'd be able to do much, but in his words, he's sure gonna try.   And the dormant drones wake upland join the fight. Fantastic.   Brody and Volker have managed to get the shields fully covering Destiny, but due to all the weapons fire they've sustained, the shields are only at 5 percent. They've never attempting jumping at anything less than 10%.   Eli doesn't think that's enough.   They're gonna have to risk it. The drones on our side are vastly outnumbered by the drones attacking us. The shuttle is docked.   It's now or never if they want to jump away.   They jump The ship is shaking a lot, but it holds together.   TJ has been examining Chloe. It appears she is fully restored and healed. No lesions, No blackouts.   Young is gonna keep her under observation for a while just in case.   A surprising thing, Chloe can still do the equations. She has retained the knowledge she had when she was undergoing the transformation. That means they'll be able to continue setting the ship's course when necessary.   Then Rush makes some startling admissions. He says everyone on board is useful. Not just those who can do drive calculations. Everyone on board belongs. That doesn't sound like Rush at all. When Chloe questions if he really believes it, he says “more and more each day.” So it seems that Rush really is going through some changes. He's opening up to the possibility of seeing meaning behind events.   With Rush, it's never easy to tell when he's being honest and when he's lying, but this feels like some interesting character development. And my memory is that he does change and slowly head toward becoming a better person in the second half of season 2.   So, it'll be interesting to see how this progresses.   There's a lot to like in these last two episodes, and I really enjoy them. Not just for what they are, but for what they're setting up.   But I have to admit, I found the resolution of Chloe's transformation very un-satisfying. I was looking forward to understanding what was happening to her. What was she becoming, and why. What was the plan behind it all.   I couldn't actually remember how it was resolved, from the last couple of times I watched through this show.   We never got any of those answers, and I'm still not sold on the alien's motivation for just undoing all their hard work.   Sure, they may have gotten some information from her, but that seems minor. We know they've explored Destiny in the past. They've been studying it for a long time before our people showed up.   They had some kind of plan for Chloe, but it all seems to have come to nothing. So I'm a little disappointed with that. I don't remember being so disappointed last time. Maybe it's because I'm watching these shows with a slightly more critical eye in order to do this podcast.   But Gatworld collects production notes in each episode. I had a look and found a quote from  Joseph Mallozzi's blog.   Check this out.   "The [aliens'] plan was to eventually use [Chloe] to amass as much information about the Destiny's systems as possible and then, eventually, use her to gain access to the ship. They implanted her with an alien virus that slowly mutated, taking over her mind and body and acting as an organic satellite. Once the mutation was complete, she would have been entirely under their control." The aliens eventually left Destiny in peace "because they had retrieved all the information they needed from Chloe when they divested her of the alien virus."   Okay. So that makes some sense of it. The virus was intended to put Chloe under their control. They had two goals for this. The first was information. They have successfully retrieved that. The second was control. They had hoped that Chloe, their agent on board, could have taken control of the ship and delivered it to them.   It seems they have sacrificed that second goal. They probably wouldn't have survived the second drone assault without the help of the humans, so they cut their losses, took the information and removed the virus, thus destroying all hope of using Chloe to get control of the ship. They returned her, as Rush predicted, because she was no longer of any value to them, but the human's cooperation was of value.   Mallozzi's words above suggest the aliens are done with Destiny now.  what they really wanted was the knowledge, not the ship itself. Of course, Chloe's impression is that they won't give up. That information is only going to make them hungrier to take the ship.   Honestly, we don't know where the writers would have taken all of this, had the show continued for more than two seasons, so we've got to give it some grace.   I just feel that all of this could have been explained a little better in the episode.   But, that's a nitpick.   As I said, I did love these episodes.   Next time, we'll be talking about a very famous and  iconic episode, Twim Destinies. This is a favourite among a lot of fans. I don't remember loving it as much as others did, but having thought about the concepts behind it a bit more, I suspect I'll be able to enjoy it more this time. But I'll get into that next time.   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so.    

We've made it to the mid-season finale for season 2. This one will leave us on a bit of a cliffhanger. The discovery of a mysterious alien signal will take the crew of Destiny a little off course and introduce a brand new and terrifying threat that will cause them a whole lot of problems for the rest of the season. Plus, things are coming to a head with Chloe. Join me for the excitement as we talk about Stargate Universe "Resurgence". ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd   This is episode 81 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Resurgence”   The description on Gateworld reads The crew's new-found control over Destiny's flight path introduces new risks when they find themselves in the middle of a war between two races.   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie It was directed by William Waring And it forest aired on the 30th of November 2010   Eli hasn't shown up for work on the bridge yet. He is, no doubt, still dealing with his grief over the death of Ginn, which is completely understandable.   Rush gives the appearance of someone who is coping better. He's back to work, focusing on what needs to be done. He got his closure when he killed Simeon. Does that meaning he's feeling less grief than Eli right now? Probably not. He just handled it differently.   The crew are struggling to understand how to operate the ship's controls. Rush has a better handle on it all, but then he's had quite a head-start.   Brody has found something. An energy signature. Investigating it would take destiny about a day's detour from its predfefined course, following the seed ships.   They debate the pros and cons, but eventually decide it's worth checking out. It could be a sign of intelligent life.   Interestingly, Volker, Park, and Rush all agree on that, but while Rush and Park think that's a pro, Volker sees it as a con. I love the exchange where Park says “you can't judge a neighbourhood by a few bad neighbours”. And Volker says “You're kidding, right. That's exactly how you judge a neighbourhood.”   They're both right. A neighbourhood gets a bad reputation because it has a number of bad elements in it, but that doesn't mean that everybody in that neighbourhood is bad. But, Destiny's track record of encountering alien life hasn't exactly been very positive.   Also, note, they still can't quite figure how how to change the ship's course without Chloe to do the calculations.   When they're about to drop out of FTL to see the answers, Eli has to be fetched by Rush, but when that happens, he does come. He's not completely locked himself away from life, but he definitely doesn't have the drive and enthusiasm for his work that he used to.   What they find is a massive graveyard of spaceships. The sight of a great battle some time in history. How fascinating.   One of the ships is familiar. The ship that Rush and Young explored a few episodes back. It looks like that particular species were the losers in the battle.   Scott and Chloe are still having the same conversation. He alien transformation is spreading. Soon she wont be herself anymore, but something dangerous that has to be removed. Scott won't let that happen, but what can he possibly do to stop it?   I can understand Chloe's perspective, but I can really identify with Scott. If it were my wife there, I'd never give up on her. Even though there seems to be no possible solution.   But even he has to acknowledge that he has been pulling away from her. It's been happening for some time. We first noticed it in Cloverdale.   I love how they're continuing to develop this over multiple episodes. This is exactly the kind of thing I wished they would have done in Star Trek Voyager. If this had been a Voyager episode, Chloe would have been infected, at the star of an episode, the drama would all occur in a short amount of time, and it would all get resolved by the end of that same episode.   But this began all the way back in the middle of season 1. We're now approaching the middle of season 2. I love this approach to story-telling, and I'm glad that it has become the norm. This is the kind of character-serialisation I'm hoping to see in Star Trek Strange new Worlds later this year, even though the plots will be standalone planet-of-the-week type stories.   Anyway, Chloe is putting on a strong face for Matt, but after she leaves, she breaks down and cries. She doesn't want to die. And she doesn't want to cause Matt pain, either.   Camille has pulled Eli aside to talk to him.    Before she can say anything, he launches into a defense. He's not crazy. He's come a long way in his 10 months aboard this ship. Once minute he was living at home with his mum, and the next, he's stranded billions of lightyears from home. Unlike everybody else, he had no training and no preparation. He wasn't even really given a choice. Jack had him beamed aboard the Hammond after he refused to get involved. Admittedly, once he was beamed up he went willingly to Icarus.   The point is, he's done remarkably well, all things considered. And he's absolutely right about that. Good on him, I say. Apart from all of that, someone he really cared for died.   Also, I love the Last Starfighter reference.   Turns out, they're not worried because he's a little distracted. They're worried because given recent events, he should be a hell of a lot more than a little distracted.   Surprisingly, they start talking about Riley, not Ginn. That loss is affecting him quite profoundly. Eli says something very meaningful. When your whole world gets reduced to about a hundred people, everyone becomes important.   Funnily, a hundred people sounds like a lot to me. If I were to try to count the number of people I have a meaningful connection to, it would probably be a lot less than a hundred. But then, I'm an introverted hermit who talks to a camera instead of interacting with humans, so there's that.   I really like how they spend time on Riley here. Once again, giving importance and significance to his death. He was no red-shirt, in the traditional Star Trek sense. Every life in this ship matters to the characters, even if that person doesn't get their name in the opening credits of this show. In universe, they matter.   When Camille mentions Ginn, Eli's face hardens, as if to say, “how dare you mention her name.” And then just walks away. There's a hell of a lot of hurt there, and he's not remotely ready to talk about that.   This was a wonderful character scene. I loved it.   Until recently, they only had two working space suits. Brody just finished repairing a third, which Greer is wearing. He half-jokingly raises concern that he's wearing the recently repaired suit, and brody replies, “easier to fix if something goes wrong, which it won't, in all likelihood.” Now this adds a little humour to the scene but it actually makes complete and perfect sense.  Better off having the repair guy wear the better suit because if there is a problem, he's not compromised, and has the highest chance of fixing it. I can understand Greer's discomfort, but Brody is right.   This is just more of the slow burn of them getting more and more of the ship and its technology undert their control.   This is their first time taking the newly restored shuttle out.   Brody remarks how weird it is to be flying amongst a fleet of damaged alien spaceships, but Greer just thinks it's cool. I'd think it was cool too, but I'd also be feeling the awe, which I think is what Brody is trying to express.   As they fly past, one of the alien ships powers upo.   There is one particular ship the shuttle is heading toward, with the intention of boarding it. I imagine this is the ship of the type Young and Rush explored earlier. I'm not entirely sure why they chose this particular ship. They've already seen one of these. Why not investigate one of the other ships, from whatever other race was involved in this battle?   The transfer from one ship to the other isn't exactly smooth. Greer has to float through space. In most sci-fi shows, every spaceship out there, even from races never encountered before, always have compatible docking ports, as if there is some universal standard that everyone knows about. And I'll put my hand up and admit I've done this in my own writing. This is a bit more realistic.   Varro, the leader of the remaining Lucian Alliance, is confined to quarters. Not because of anything he did, but because he didn't sufficiently warn the crew of how unstable Simeon was. He thought he could control him. He was wrong.   It seems there is a bit of a friendship between Varro and TJ. They talk about TJ's recent revelation that the people who came back from Eden didn't have her child. She has accepted that she was misled by the ship. Varro seems to be holding onto the possibility that there might be some other explanation.   That's when TJ noticed something out the window. The powered ship.   Destiny has analysed the debris and figured out what pieces go together to make up the various spaceships. The destroyed ships, those are the ones we've encountered before. The others, they're not destroyed. They're just dormant. Perhaps they were drone ships that shut down after they'd accomplished their instructions. And that's the ship that powered up, which TJ saw.   Eli says they have to get out of there right now, which is probably a good idea.,   Young recalls the away team. The alien drone ships are waking up en masse now. They're zipping around. Young prepares to fire weapons. But he also asks Eli to send a message in whatever languages he can, explaining that Destiny is not a threat.   This is an exciting scene. Stargate Universe has a good balance between science fiction and character drama. I've encountered detractors who have said SGU is not science fiction, it's just a soap opera. That is so not the case. If anything, I'd say that this show is the most genuine science fiction, in the truest sense of the term, than anything else in the franchise.   So we're treated to a space battle as these alien fighters zip around Destiny.   Typical Rush wants to jump away without the shuttle. Ever the cold hard pragmatist. Things are looking bad. The FTL drive has been damaged and weapons are failing.   The next thing that happs is a big surprise. An ancient seed ship drops out of FTL, and Destiny is hailed by our old friend David Telford. Remember, he was left behind on the seed ship earlier this season.   So…in a sense, Rush was right. If the seed ship hadn't shown up, they'd all be dead now.   Telford seems to know what he's doing. Both ancient ships head into the star, pursued by the alien drones. Destiny and the seed ship are designed to enter a star. That's how they rechard.   The alien ships are not, and they burnt up.   It bought them some time, but there are other drone ships still out there, and they just have to fly around the star.   But apparently, it's gonna take a lot longer than I imagine  for that to happen. The two ships dock.   Telford tells his story of what's happened since we last saw him. It turns out, the aliens that had boarded the seed ship were not hostile, just desperate. Telford was at their mercy, but they didn't harm him. They were curious. Communication proved difficult. Their stasis pods have a neural interface to keep the mind occupied while the body sleeps. That concept has been done in sci-fi before. Voyager comes to mind. Anyway, Telford saw a whole lot of images. Some of it were clear. Telford was able to form an understanding of the aliens and their history. They call themselves the Ursini. They began to trust him. They worked together to get the seed ship online. They've been chasing Destiny ever since. Telford got nutrition from the alien pods. And the Ursini need Destiny's help.   A long time ago, the Ursini made the same mistake as our crew. They woke the alien drone ships. They had hoped the seed ship would give them an edge in their conflict. Does that mean that the destroyed ships, including the one Young and Rush explored a few erpisodes back, are Ursini ships?   They were left behind by their own people and so went into stasis on the seed ship until Destiny showed up. They drained power from Destiny because they wanted to go home.   They don't want to communicate with their homeworld until they're sure that the drone threat is over.   The Ursini still have a working FTL drive. With the two ships docked, they could jump, and Destiny will come along for the ride, but the Ursini want our help. The drones are all controlled by a command ship. That ship is out of sublight range. They'd have to jump to its location and destroy it. That would make the drones inert. In theory. This is a common sci-fi trope that doesn't make a lot of sense. Why not give each drone its own CPU. I mean, the computing power necessary to program these things is currently sitting in my pocket. There's no reason to centralise things like this. It makes them vulnerable. Star Wars episode 1 did this with the battle droids. When the command ship in orbit blew up, the drones just shut down. That is so silly. Don't get me wrong, I understand the value of cloud computing, but even now, we can build software that will continue to operate after it's connection to the cloud is lost. I'm sure we can invent some head-canon to explain why this is the way it is, but the real reason, of course, is because this silly vulnerability gives our heroes a fighting chance.   Rush thinks we should double-cross the Ursini. Get them to take us some place safe for repairs first. Play for time until we get our own FTL drive working, then say “see ya mate” and leave them without giving the help they need.   Both Camille and Young think this is a terrible idea, and I agree. The Ursini are the first potential allies our heroes have encountered out here. Why make them an enemy unnecessarily. Plus, the Ursini may hold the key to getting back to Earth some day, by combining the power of the seed ship with Destiny.   But there's another reason as well. What if there are more drone ships out there. Taking out that command ship is a much better idea than leaving it, and becoming enemies with both sides of this alien conflict.   For such a smart person, Rush can be pretty dumb sometimes. And sadly lacking in compassion. I can't help but wonder if he has an actual psychological coindition that makes it hard or impossible for him to feel compassion or empathy for others. Maybe, or maybe, deep down, he's a bit of a jerk. The thing is, the show has made us feel compassion and empathy for him at times. He's had a hard life. That's probably part of it too. And that's what make us continue to somewhat like him as a charcter, even though he's so unlikable.   Now despite all that stuff I just said about Rush having no compassion and empathy, he's the one who is going to try to counsel Eli, who is continuing to make little mistakes. Rush and Eli are in a very similar situation. They both lost somebody they loved that day. They both failed to save Amanda and Ginn.   Rush actually does a decent job. Partly, it's because of that shared experience. Rush is able to describe exactly what Eli is feeling becauise he's feeling the same. And he can tell Eli from personal experience, that getting revenge wouldn't have helped one bit. He'd still be getting up in the morning, and she'd still be dead.   Then Rush says something interesting. We're taught from a young age that everybody is equal, but that's a lie. Some people are better. It's those who recognsie  they are better, and learn to exploit it, who succeed. He says Eli is one of those people, but the only way to achieve his potential is to make sure he doesn't get beaten down. That's why keeps Rush going.   This is interesting, and it might even be what Eli needs to hear right now, but I don't agree with Rush. I'll admit that we don't all have equal abilities. Some people are especially gifted, far beyond the rest of us. But I believe all human beings have equal value. Equal worth.   Telford has negotiated an agreement with the Ursini. We are going to go on a joint mission.   In theory, this jump will be no different than the shuttle jumping with destiny, because it's attached. But the shuttle is small and was designed to do that. While destiny is significantly bigger than the seed ship.   They keep mentioning that it's dangerous to jump within 4 hours of exiting FTL. And we're still in that 3 hour danger window. To my knowledge, they've never given a good explaination why this is a thing. Just another rule they invented for narrative reasons.   Luckily, the jumps works successfully.   Eli goes to share the good news with Chloe, and there's one element of the agreement that hasn't been mentioned yet. After the mission is over, the Ursini will help Destiny dial Earth.   But something is wrong with Chloe. She's unrespoonsive. And something else is wrong. They drop out of FTL early. They've arrived at the command ship. Seems that Rush wasn't the only one wanting to double-cross. The Ursini have forced our hand. No time to repair Destiny. Destroy the command ship now!   But what choice do they have? They engage the enemy.   Unfortunately, the command ship is guarded by a bunch of drone fighters.   Chloe suddenly wakes up and asks Eli to let her help.   She is REALLY not herself. She expertly takes out the guard who incists on talking to Young first.   If I were Eli, I'd be pretty scared right now. Scared that Chloe's transformation into “something dangerous” is complete.   But maybe she can help them.   Brody seals off that section of the ship to contain Chloe   Meanwhile, the battle is not going well. They can't get near the command ship. Chloe gets through the locked doors. That alien knowledge inside of her is making her very capable.   I love the combination of the tensio with the battle at the same time as the tension inside the ship. The tension inside is even more powerful because it involves a charfacter we care about. So there is more emotional impact.   And Varro has a chance to help TJ.   Chloe is doing something at a console. Whatever it is she's done, it's over. It's too late for Matt to stop her.   Let's hope he doesn't have to be the one to take her down. He'd never be able to forgive himself.   And them as Destiny continues to be pummeled by alien drones, the episode ends.   I do love serialised story-telling.   It turns out, this was actually a mid-season cliffhanger. That's a big thing in American TV. Possibly because they need time to finish making the later episodes of a season. It's never really been a thing in Australian TV, but one of the side-effects of getting shows at the same time as the US these days, is that we're exposed to the oddities of American TV scheduling.   This was a fantastic episode. Some great action sequences, lots of aliens, some fantastic character moments, and even some humour that came naturally out of the characters, so it didn't pull me out of the story.   We'll have to wait until next time to see what happens next. It'll be pretty exciting. The episode will be called Deliverance.   There's some truly great stuff ahead of us. The sad thing is, we only have half a season left and then we'll be finished Stargate Universe.   We'd best enjoy it while we can.   Incidentally, I do have some exciting ideas about what we'll cover next once Stargate Universe is over. I might share some of that later.   But for now   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so.  

This one is certainly a dark and depressing episode, but does that make it bad? If you're at all familiar with me, you'll know what I think. Join me as we dig into "Visitation" a very emotional episode of Stargate Universe. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd.   This is episode 80 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode, “Visitation.”   The description on Gateworld reads Members of the crew left behind in another galaxy make a shocking return to Destiny, while Chloe deals with the inevitable consequences of her transformation.   This episode was written by Rémi Aubuchon It was directed by William Waring And it first aired on the 23rd of November 2010. In a recent episode, Young pointed out they didn't have any shuttles. I was confused by this. One shuttle was destroyed, but they had gotten the second shuttle working, right? The recap of today's episode reminded me that Young left the damages shuttle behind on the faith planet for use by the people who stayed behind. So….Oops. I forgot about that.   While Brody repairs the still, Rush is trying to explain the message in the cosmic background radiation to people who have absolutely no idea what he's talking about. To them, and to me, it looks like an animated screensaver.   So Destiny drops out of FTL and they see a Destiny-style shuttle. It looks like the one they left behind. It's just floating in space next to them. Interesting.   They get a message. It comes from Doctor Cain. They fell asleep on the faith planet last night. They woke up here. They have no idea how.   Re-watching this episode, I didn't actually remember this, so I was filled with the same sense of wonder and questioning that I had the first time I watched it. And this really is intriguing.   Young is concerned that it might not actually be our people. Could it be a trojan horse, to get inside Destiny's defences? Rush makes a very good point. With any beings that could do this, defences are meaningless.   There is one advantage of all this, though. It would be nice to have a working shuttle again.   The first thing that TJ thinks about when she hears about what's happened, is her daughter. Young is convinced that what TJ experienced was a simulation, much like what he went through recently. A false experience placed into her mind.   And that is definitely plausible. It even explains the whole Nebula thing, that TJ couldn't possibly have known about until she saw it, but Destiny would have known it was coming up. The ship could have placed the image of that nebula in her mind. But to what end? If it was just a simulation, what was the ship trying to achieve? Maybe giving hope to the only doctor the crew had?   Young sounds a sobering caution. Nobody mentioned a child. He doesn't want TJ to get her hopes up, but she has to know.   The shuttle docks and the crew come aboard. It's all their old friends from the Faith planet. Young's not taking this lightly. They're expected to exit the shuttle one person at a time. They will be escorted to a holding area.   None of them are carrying a child. There is no sign of a child on the shuttle.   Young asks TJ if she's all right. She replies, “I'm fine.” Honestly, I don't know why she's pretending. I sure as hell wouldn't be.   Eli is recording a diary entry on the Kino. Not only is he still grieving the loss of Ginn, but he's losing Chloe. She continues to transform and there's nothing any of them can do about it.   Scott visits her to give her the news about the arrivals.   Chloe is not even sure she wants to fight her transformation anymore. What's happening will happen. She's not afraid of it anymore.   Cain says they were sleeping in the shuttle, using it as a shelter from the cold during the winter. So, the log cabin that TJ saw in her vision wasn't real? All the evidence is supporting Young's theory that it was just a simulation.   Cain seems convinced that if not the aliens, then God himself has brought the shuttle here. Eli turns the mike off, and argues against this, using that familiar Arthur C. Clarke quote. Given the trembling in his voice, I'd say there's a lot more going on here than simple philosophical disagreements. This is emotional. This is personal. Ginn didn't get her miracle. It doesn't look like Chloe is going to get hers either. So why should he believe in such things?   I did chuckle when Young said “Turn the microphone back on. Winston Churchill”   The shuttle was barely working when they left it on the planet. But now, it's in perfect working order. It's like brand new. Brody even jokes that it has that new shuttle smell.   So far, no ticking time bombs have been found. Nothing that could be a threat.   Even though Cain talked about using the shuttle for shelter, they seem to have amnesia, remembering nothing about the planet. At least, very little. So…that leaves a small sliver of hope that maybe the child was there and they just don't remember it.   Cain claims the amnesia is a sign from God that they have been reborn.   Cain is a little frustrating, the way he jumps to so many conclusions. I don't think he's a very good representation of people of faith.   The others think the aliens that built the planet discovered them and returned them to Destiny as an act of benevolence. Which would imply that the planet was never meant for Destiny's crew, which goes against Cain's original belief.   Young isn't buying it. These aliens are too powerful. So…power and benevolence are incompatible? That's an extraordinary opinion.   Now being afraid of that power, realising “they could squash us like ants if they wanted do” I do understand that.   But here's something really interesting. Both Young and TJ have had an odd experience. When they look any of these visitors in the eye, they get a weird feeling. They can't be in the same room as them for long without feeling like that have to get out. Fascinating.   Chloe doesn't know how much longer she will be herself, so she's recording messages for her loved ones, while she can.   Eli says, “start with someone easy, like me.” Chloe is kind of offended by that. Of all the people, Eli is the hardest to say goodbye to.   Young has released the visitors. He has no reason to treat them as prisoners. They are given back their old quarters. They will be given tasks to do, to carry their weight as members of the crew.   He's not happy about it, but at present, this seems the right thing to do. Greer also has this strange feeling about them. And it's nice to see him in a sling, given that he was shot in the last episodes. These are the little moments that make such a difference when TV shows take continuity seriously.   TJ takes Caine to see the place where they're growing their own food. She questions him about her experience with the baby. Caine has no memory of any of that happening, but then, he has partial amnesia about their time on the planet. So…who knows? But this is enough to cause her great pain.   Camille interviews them about what they remember. This explains a little more about this partial amnesia thing. They only seem to remember the most vague generic details of their time on the planet. No specifics. No actually memories of events happening.   They're all like that.   Wray thinks the aliens didn't want our people to remember …. Something.   Young asks if Camille is having the same weird feelings about the visitors. She says she's the wrong person to ask because a lot of people creep her out. I found that very amusing.   Greer is being weird about Scott visiting Chloe, but that's kind of Greer's way. He doesn't always come out with things plainly. When Scott pushes him, he explains his position. Chloe is isolated for a reason and he thinks Scott is not taking that seriously. We get a little insight into how the military structure works. Greer says “It's my job as a master sergeant to make sure butter-bar lieutenants like you don't make mistakes.” I'm not exactly sure what that means. I get the impression that Scott technically outranks Greer, but Greer may have more experience, and so is meant to keep the young officers accountable.   This is a good character scene. They have a pretty meaningful conversation. Scott reminds Greer how much he loves Chloe, and Greer reminds Scott that he's not the only one. Greer prays for her every night, but he can see where this is going. Greer's concern is not for a lack of caring for Chloe, but his love is of a different kind than Scotts. He can, perhaps, see things with greater clarity.   Greer and Scott are actually better representations of people of faith.   Eli sits down to talk with one of the visitors. He's a little jealous he never got to see the planet. Some fragments of memories are starting to come back. She's going to share an embarrassing memory, but I honestly couldn't understand what she said. I rewound and listened again but still couldn't make it out. I tried turning on subtitles, but nothing happened, so I guess this DVD doesn't have them.   Anyway, the more she thinks about the planet, she starts to feel weird. Then her nose bleeds and she's in excruciating pain. It all started when Eli mentioned the obelisk. It's pretty confronting.   Caine seeks out Rush on the bridge. Rush has been checking the navigational logs of the shuttle, to see what path it took to reach Destiny. But there was no path. The shuttle was there, and then it was here.   Rush makes a good point to Caine. He had no burning bush, no angel speaking to him. He has no evidence for his beliefs whatsoever. No grounds. Just assumptions.   Rush also points out that while the shuttle was returned to pristine condition, the people weren't. But I don't see that as direct evidence that God wasn't involved. See, they both have their own biases, like we all do.   TJ admits to Young that she's not doing okay. Which is completely understandable. She's just lost the one thing that gave her hope. Her only reason to keep going. She must be in a very dark place right now.   Greer actually takes Scott's advice and visits Chloe. He has a way of speaking openly and honestly with her that I think she appreciates. She knows that once she is no longer herself, Young will see her as a threat. Greer says at that time, Young will remove the threat. One way or another.   She asks, “will it be you?” And with a shake in his voice, he says “Yes, ma'am. I think so.” Oh man. That hit me right in the heart.   She apologises. He says he couldn't let it be anyone else.   He asks for her forgiveness for when the time does come. She's quick to offer it.   This exchange broke me a little. I just wanted to hug them both.   He doesn't think he can see her again. So he makes his goodbye now. She reaches to hug him, but he can't do that.   Whew that was powerful.   Chloe records a very heart-felt message to Scott. I like that she wants Scott and Eli to take care of each other, as she knows they will. And she asks Scott to forgive Greer for what he's likely going to have to do. I imagine that'll be a hard one.   Camille is trying to use hypnosis to help the visitors remember their time on the planet, which they named Eden. They're preparing for winter.  The fact that this world has such harsh cold winters is compelling evidence that this planet wasn't fashioned by the aliens specifically for the crew of Destiny to live on. If it were, they'd have made the climate more ideal for human habitation. They'd have arranged it so that it wouldn't have been almost winter when Destiny arrived.   And then Peter remembers something startling. That woman who starting having painful convulsions while talking to Eli, she died on the planet. A tree fell on her before winter. He saw her die months ago.   Now that he's realised this, he's also convulsing.   Time time, the convulsions were enough to kill him. But it's weird. TJ says the symptoms of death were hypothermia. From the condition of his body, TJ could argue that he died on the planet as well, from exposure.   Maybe Val died too, but the episode hasn't exactly been clear about that. TJ theorises that they're all dying again. In order. The next one they find in her quarters. She looks like she's freezing to death. But she's got these weird contusions on her face.   Scott comes to see Chloe but she tells him to leave. I don't think she wants him to see her anymore. She's still herself for now, but for how long?   While TJ tries to prevent the other visitors from dying of hypothermia, Camille tries to get to the bottom of it all with Caine.   In his memory, snow is falling. The shuttle is their only shelter. They've lost power so they can't use the heating. The shuttle is airtight so they have to keep the door open or they'll suffocate, which will let the cold in. Caine slowly watches his friends die. He's the last. He falls asleep in that shuttle. The next thing he remembers is waking up near Destiny.   Caine expects he'll be dead before they next drop out of FTL. He's remembered something. He remembers that he's already dead.   Whatever the aliens did to bring them back from the dead was only temporary. The question is …. Why?   Caine has realised that his reanimation was not done by God, but by beings that, while powerful, can rebuild a man's body, but not his soul. Maybe that's what TJ and Young were sensing.   We're seeing here that the aliens, which Gateworld refers to as Eden Engineers, are fallible. They have limits.   And now we get what I'd consider the first decent faith scene with Caine. He says that he has Caine's DNA, some of his memories, but he is not the Robert Caine that God made. TJ is surprised that after everything he still believes. And he says, That's faith.   Caine tries to reassure TJ that she has to believe her daughter is in a better place. Not an alien planet, but heaven. He encourages TJ to live her life, to fulfil Destiny's mission, and to have faith in her crewmates. This is the best Caine scene we've ever had. And I actually like it.   A kino has been found in the shuttle. Eli didn't leave it there. It contains a recording of Caine's last moments. The real Caine. He's praying for rescue while he freezes to death. And then there is a bright light outside the front window of the shuttle.   It seems that aliens did their best to restore the humans, but unlike with the shuttle, they didn't have the capability to fully and completely restore the dead humans.   In an interesting twist on the cliche, I think we can say that this episode answered more questions than it raised. But those answers certainly lead to new questions.   I think we can now conclusively say that TJ's experience with her baby on Eden was just a simulation from Destiny, to give her hope to carry on, as Young believed. She now knows that her baby is dead. And that's really heart-breaking. In a way, I feel this with TJ, like some of my hope has been taken away as well.   Are the Eden Engineers the ones Destiny is searching for? The cause and origin of the fingerprint?   And what will become of Chloe? It's looking pretty bleak for her at present.   This is quite possibly the most depressing episode in the stargate franchise, because it takes the innermost hopes of many characters and utterly crushes them. There is nothing darker than the death of hope.   Some people would argue that because it's depressing, it's intrinsically bad. If you've listened to me for any period of time, you'll know that I strongly disagree with that. But I'll admit, this episode makes me feel pretty sad.   I think the parts I struggle with most are the realisations that all that TJ and the colonists put their hope and faith in was for nothing. Possibly because faith is so important to me. But just because something is hard, doesn't make it bad.   On the other hand, the stuff with Chloe is equally dark and depressing, possibly even more so, but I loved those parts of the episode.   The show is really ramping up.   Next time, Destiny's crew will find themselves caught in a war between two alien races. Should be interesting.   I'll see you in two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.  

Following from the disturbing cliffhanger at the end of the previous episode, This one opens with the tragic death of not one, but two semi-regular characters. While Eli tries to handle his grief, doing what he can to help with the situation, Rush goes off in a revenge-fueled rage to kill the Lucian Alliance killer Simeon. An emotion-filled episode shot in the beautiful Binti Badlands. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd   This is episode 79 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Malice.”   The description on Gateworld reads   Simeon makes his escape from Destiny, sending Nicholas Rush on a vengeful mission to catch him. But Young and Greer must attempt to retrieve Simeon unharmed.   This episode was both written and directed by Robert C. Cooper And it first aired on the 16th of November 2010   Young is talking with Brody, Park, and Volker. They're all trying to come to terms with the recent revelations. The bridge, Destiny's mission, and how much they should trust Rush, keeping in mind that he was responsible for Riley's death.   Young is being surprisingly lenient on that. “I don't believe he intended Riley harm,” he says. And that is true. Rush messed up big time. He made a mistake that cost a man's life, but it was hardly pre-meditated murder.   As Young says, Rush is going to have to live with that for the rest of his life.   The scientists are amazed by the importance of this discovery, assuming it's true. As Eli says “you have planted false information in the computer before.”   Have you noticed that over the last year and a half, Eli has grown more dubious of Rush, and has less tolerance for him?   They've dropped out of FTL in a system. There are three planets in range. One is a wasteland but the other two show promise.   Rush is going to have to get used to the fact that the bridge is no longer his own private domain. That will be a pretty hard adjustment for him.   Nick goes to see Doctor Perry, who isn't answering. She's lying unconscious on the floor. What did Simeon do to her?   Scott has quickly determined that all Lucian Alliance are accounted for except Simeon. And he's got a gun. Not sure how he pulled that off.   TJ doesn't seem to be doing much to help Perry. We learn that this body is dead. That leaves them all fearing the worst for Gin. Nobody knows for certain what happens to the other person when a body-swapped person dies. They use the stones to check in. And James confirms the worst. Amanda Perry is dead. That means Gin is dead too.   Wow. I knew this was coming, but in my memory, Eli and Ginn's relationship lasted a bit longer than this. I didn't remember exactly how she died. We only really got to see them together for that one episode.   This is heavy. And heart-breaking.   And both Rush and Eli are beyond heartbroken.   Rush goes on a rampage through the ship, screaming and hitting the walls. Eli asks Young, in a trembling voice, for a gun.   Simeon's motivation seems pretty clear. Ginn was telling Lucian Alliance secrets to homeworld command. Simeon killed Perry in order to kill Ginn.   So that was a pretty gutsy move. The show has just killed two semi-regular characters in one swoop. Reasonably likeable characters at that. It's a big deal. But it kinda hurts.   And now we have a hostage situation. Simeon is holding Park and orders Volker to dial the gate. He's already killed a couple of guards.   By the time Brody gets the door to the gateroom open, Simeon has already gone through the gate with Park. Rush lives up to his name and … rushes straight through after him.   The planet looks pretty desolate, but livable.   Park says that there's something on her back. And as serious and tense a moment this is, all I can think of is Doctor Who. I'm sure some of you will know what I'm talking about.   It turns out to be a bomb.   While TJ fights to save the lives of the downed guards, Young gets a team together to dial the gate back again,   There's a problem. Several actually. The bomb is an ancient device. So they only know what they've been able to piece together about it. Young has learned that Ginn told homeworld security that Simeon knows the location of the Lucian alliance base. His knowledge may be the only way to stop the impending attack on Earth. They need him alive.   Right now, Rush is on the planet, and while he's currently distracted with the bomb on Park's back, he has every intention of killing Simeon on sight.   Young and his team can't come through the gate while Rush is trying to disarm the bomb. At least, that's what he says. He has no reason to lie at this point because he doesn't know Young wants Simeon alive.   Simeon has a shot lined up on Rush's back. But for some reason, he doesn't fire. He seems to reconsider when the gate dials. I'm not really sure why.   Rush is on the verge of giving up, abandoning Park to her fate, because he has nothing small enough to remove the bomb. But then he realises he can use his glasses.   Rush may have his own priorities, as always, but he's not completely heartless.   Young has a little talk with Varro, the leader of the remaining Lucian Alliance people. He's the reasonable one. He assures Young he didn't know about Simeon's knowledge of the attack. And I tend to believe him. But he warns Young to simply let Simeon go.” You'll lose more people trying to bring him in alive. He's dangerous.”   That, they've already figured out.   Turns out there are more bombs. Simeon has booby trapped the desert with them.   Scott tries to reason with Rush. Once Colonel Young is done with Simeon, Rush can do whatever he wants with him. Scott doesn't care. And Greer says “if you don't kill him, I will.” But right now, they have to bring him in alive. Even from so far away, they can still do their part to help save Earth. And Rush seems to understand. He's an intelligent man. But right now he's running on pure emotion. Let's see if he really can reign that emotion in.   After securing Rush's agreement to play by the rules, Scott allows him to remain.   The location they used to film this planet is pretty cool. I love all the rock protrusions. I found myself wondering where they filmed this. After all, the Stargate shows were all shot in Canada, and while I'm sure a landmass the size of Canada is more diverse that people would assume, it's certainly not known for terrain like this. Are there any deserts in Canada? Not that I'm aware of, but I wouldn't know.   Anyway, it turns out they shot the location stuff for this episode in New Mexico, which is a state of the USA. Air Part 3, and the Atlantis episode Vegas were also shot there. They're in a place called the Bisti Badlands. The sandstone formations were formed by a glacier.   The funny thing is, the cast and crew joked that people will assume it's fake, that it's CG, or that the rocks were built on a set. And funnily enough, when you see these rocks close up, they do kinda look like they've been made out of moulded concrete. But That's what they actually look like. It's all real. Apparently the wind was pretty bad out there, and caused some problems with some of the equipment. Eli is keeping busy trying to stall the FTL clock.   Volker is struggling with the fact that Simeon let him live. Why didn't he kill him?   Rush and Scott are talking about the message the ancients found in the background radiation. He points out that Scott likely wants to believe that the message is from God, the creator.   Rush says “well, we'll just have to wait and see.” Rush is implying a complete openness to discovering the answer no matter what. He'll follow the science, even if the science leads to God. And that's actually the scientific ideal. Just follow the evidence with no preconceived notions at all. Of course, it's very difficult for any of us human beings to put aside our own biases enough to reach that ideal.   Greer really doesn't trust Rush at the moment. While Young may have forgiven him, Greer never will. I think he's almost hoping that Rush betrays them so he gets to kill him.   They're not going to be able to figure out how to stop the clock in time before the ship jumps. However, they can stop the ship again. It has to remain in FTL for a minimum for 4 hours. At that point, they'll still be in range of the planet.   That'll be the last chance. They don't have complete and full control over the ship, afterall.   Scott spots an animal. A big alien lizard thing, not too dissimilar from a dinosaur. I love Greer's first thought. “Is it something we can barbecue?” In the 90s, I remember that while we might see creatures on the big screen, it was pretty rare to see alien animals or monsters on TV. They just didn't have the budget for it. Today, of course, premium TV has similar budgets to movies and the results are often indistinguishable. Modern shows like Star Trek Discovery will often give us big CGI alien creatures. Stargate Universe was one of the very first shows to do this. I'm not sure it gets enough credit for that. Back in season 2 of SG-1, it was such a huge deal when they splurged to give us the folding Horus Guard helmet, previously only seen in the movie.   Chloe is working on equations. She might as well use what she has. It seems she may have figured something out just as the ship jumps.   Rush is overcome with grief at the loss of Perry. He breaks down in the middle of the desert and cries. He's blaming himself. He brought her on board.   Scott tries to console Rush, saying that even if they don't find Simeon, he'll probably die a miserable death on this world. But he has a kino remote. He'll probably wait for them to leave and then planet-hop, searching for the other Lucian Alliance people that were left on a planet behind.   Simeon has them in his sights. He fires. Here's a question. Is he deliberately just trying to warn them off, or is he a terrible shot?   From where he was, he should have been able to easily take out Greer.   I think it's just the same story logic that makes storm troopers bad shots. The bad guys have to miss, otherwise the heroes will be dead.   Eli is not coping very well. He's biting people's heads off, and actually acting a bit like Rush, like nobody else is smart enough to do anything. It's completely understandable given his recent loss.  Usually, after suffering a loss like this, people don't go to work. But he doesn't have that luxury, and the last thing he wants to do is just sit around.   Lieutenant James' team is compromised by one of Simeon's bombs. They have to get their wounded back to the gate, which means less people looking for Simeon.   Rush has found a way to locate Simeon using the remotes. But how long has he known? Greer and Scott are not trusting him.   There's a nice scene between Eli and Young. Eli can't solve the clock problem, not any time soon. So he wants to go to the planet and help go after Simeon. Right now, it's all about having something constructive to do that will help him get justice and revenge.   Everyone keeps pointing out how unlikely it is that they'll get Simeon to talk. I'm curious how they're going to go about that. It's not like they're going to torture him. It does seem unlikely they'll be able to extract the information they need from Simeon.   Young warns Eli that killing for revenge will change him.   They find Simeon. Greer shoots to wound. Rush is furious about this. And while Scott and Greer are distracted by him, Simeon wounds Greer. Now Rush is on his own, tracking Simeon. And it's time to turn back.   Chloe thinks she might be able to help Eli stop the clock. It's all about Rush's equations. She is slowly starting to understand them.   Now, realistically, I'm not sure how useful those advanced equations of Rush's are going to be here. What they're facing is essentially a software problem. Trying to understand how complex code written by somebody else works is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my day job. And that's with the source code. Eli is trying to reverse engineer an alien program written in an alien language. It's not a physics issue. It's a code issue.   Anyway, Brody and Volker bring up a valid concern. Who knows if whatever Chloe does will actually be helpful. It's quite possible she'll unknowingly sabotage Destiny, allowing the blue aliens to attack again.   It's a risk Young is willing to take.   Wounded and unable to move very far, Simeon takes to taunting Rush over the radio. He doubts Rush cared enough about Ginn to pursue him like this, so it must have been that other woman. You must have loved her very much.   Rush spots a herd of those animals near where Simeon is limping.   Time is up. Scott and Greer are back at the gate. They have to return to Destiny. At this point, Rush is a lost cause. He won't get back in time.   Rush really should have learned to shoot a gun properly before getting into a firefight with a soldier. But then, he has another plan. Hisgunshots are just a distraction to get Simeon in the way of the stampeding dinosaurs which Rush sets off with one of the bombs. The plan works. A badly wounded Simeon says he has information. Rush isn't interested. He shoots Simeon in the head, claiming his revenge.   Chloe is clearly not in control of whatever is in her. At least not on a conscious level. But whatever she does helps.   But he reaches the gate to find it abandoned. Or so he thinks.   It turns out Chloe plotted a new FTL course. She brought Destiny back to the planet to get Rush. Perhaps Rush's equations were more relevant to that.   At the end, Scott asks Rush if he feels any better, having taken his revenge. He doesn't answer.   I think we can guess the answer, but Rush doesn't want to admit it.   I don't have any first hand experience with Revenge. Not on a scale like this. Oh, there's simulated revenge, like when you're playing Civilisation, and another country takes one of your cities, and you want to get back at them, or when you're a kid and somebody breaks one of your toys. But an actual burning adult desire for revenge. I've never suffered anything from somebody that has given me cause to feel that. Which, I guess, makes me very lucky. But I've heard it from multiple sources. “Revenge doesn't make you feel any better.” And I believe it.   One of the most important things that a story is supposed to do, is make you feel something. It could make you feel happy, sad, angry. It doesn't really matter what. By that logic, this is a very good episode. It had some good human drama, some beautiful scenery, and plenty of excitement.   This episode will leave a number of our characters with far-reaching consequences.   Next time, we have a big arc episode which will bring back some familiar faces, and reveal what's really been happening to Chloe.   It should be fun. I'll see you next time for Visitation.   In the meantime, don't forget, if you'd like to support me, you can check our my Jewel of The Stars series of books. Just go to AdamDavidCollings.com/books  or, you can read the first book completely free by searching for Jewel of The Stars on Wattpad.   Have a great two weeks, live long and prosper   Make it so.  

In today's Stargate Universe podcast, we delve into the game-changing episode "The Greater Good". When Rush and Young get stuck on a derelict alien spaceship, Rush is unable to keep hiding his secrets. Not only to the crew discover Destiny's bridge, but Rush reveals the greatest secret of all - the reason the ancients constructed and launched Destiny in the first place! I do love these big episodes that change the status quo and give us big reveals. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 78 of the podcast. I had a bit of a mis-numbering occur recently, but this one is definitely 78.   Today we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode, The Greater Good   The description on Gateworld reads When Young and Rush are trapped on an abandoned alien ship, Rush has Amanda Perry brought on board in an attempt to steer Destiny to them while keeping his secret.   This episode was written by Carl Binder It was directed by William Warring And it first aired on the 9th of November 2010   Colonel Young is lying in his bed looking very contemplative. Probably still coming to terms with all he went through last episode. And he's late for a meeting.   The powers that be want Gin to use the communication stones and share some of her knowledge with Stargate command.  She's been the most cooperative of the Lucian Alliance on the ship. Not surprising, since she never wanted to be a part of the alliance in the first place.   When Camille goes to ask her to do it, she notices just how far Gin and Eli have progressed in their relationship.   Destiny drops out of FTL. There's 12 hours on the clock but there are no gates in range. Rush isn't responding to calls as usual.   When they look out the observation deck window, they see a ship. Not a seed ship, or the blue aliens they met before. This is something new. Exciting.   Volker sums up the crew's feelings when he sarcastically says “New friends. Yay.”   This ship is pretty banged up, like it's been through a battle. Predictably, Rush is on the bridge, controlling the ship. Young is getting pretty obviously sick of Rush going off on his own little secret missions that he won't talk about. That's gonna come to a head pretty soon.   According to sensors, the alien ship seems to be abandoned. They want to go over and explore, but they don't have a shuttle. Which, I suppose makes sense. They lost their good shuttle when it crashed on that planet where Riley died. But they did get that second shuttle working eventually. It may not be in as great condition as the first shuttle was, before it crashed, but in my memory, it was still quite usable. So….what have I missed?   Anyway, they're gonna go over in spacesuits, and Rush wants to be the one. He's familiar with alien technology and languages so it would make sense.   Young doesn't argue, he can't. But he trusts Rush less than he ever has. So Young is going across to keep an eye on him. He even promises not to leave Rush behind!   Eli is visiting Chloe. He tells her about Gin, and she's happy for him.   There's nothing like getting to explore a new alien spaceship. Young and Rush are sliding along a cable between the two ships in their suits. The bridge appears destroyed. It does have artificial gravity, though.   That's when they see pods, like those they saw on the seed ship. So either this ship belonged to those aliens, or, more likely, they boparded it, and maybe tried to take it overe, like they did with the seed ship.   Things start to go badly when the engines engage on their own. Just for a moment, but it's enough to cause a disaster. The cable breaks and the alien ship is drifting rapidly away from Destiny.   Rush has no way to turn the ship around, and the crew don't have control of Destiny so they can't follow. This, of course, presents a real dilemma for Rush. He knows about the bridge, but nobody else does.   Now he's facing the prospect of revealing his guilty little secrets, or dying on an abandoned spaceship.   He goes half way. He reveals he's been working on a program that will allow the crew to operate Destiny's main engines. This is probably true. He's been doing a lot of work on that bridge, probably trying to reverse engineer the bridge systems so as to understand how they work.   Eli and the others can certainly help, but it's going to take somebody with more knowledge of ancient drive systems. Amanda Perry.   Remember her? Rush worked with her in the old days before Icarus. She's heavily disabled. Camille once had to spend weeks in her body, being cared for night and day.   Young agrees. Let's get her on board. They shed their suits to preserve power.   Gin gets a visit from our old friend Simeon. You know, the Lucian Alliance jerk. It seems Simeon now has free reign of the ship. He warns Gin not to say too much to the people of Earth, and by warn, I mean threaten. I'm really not sure why Simeon was chosen as one of the alliance members to remain on board Destiny. He must have concealed his true nature long enough to avoid being stranded with the other jerks.   Gin is swapping bodies with Amanda Perry. They're all acting like this is some big thing, which of course, it is, but they don't even mention to difficulty Gin is about to face in Perry's body. Camille says that Gin has given her consent, and that she's “fully aware of the communication stones protocol.” But it's not the stones themselves that make this a big deal. It's the fact that Gin is going into a paralysed body that can barely breathe without mechanical aide. Camille has been there. She of all people knows the emotional challenges Gin is about to endure, and she'll have to stay there until Perry has finished solving this problem. I all just read a bit odd to me.   The camera shot where they show gin place the stone on the pedestal, and them ,in what appears to be a smooth pan with no cuts, move up to reveal Perry's face. I'm not sure how they did it, but it was cool. And the way the hand moves, like somebody who hasn't been able to move her body in many years, that was a nice touch.   The visual aesthetic of the alien ship seems very similar to that of Destiny. That, combined with the fact that Rush seems to be able to read and operate the controls with no difficulty, suggests to me this may be an ancient ship, but they haven't said anything along those lines.   They even had video communications between the two ships. Although that's probably a Kino.   Rush conveniently gets rid of both Young and Eli so he can privately share some equations with Perry. He communicates a message to her discretely with the algorithms. He wants her to go to the bridge. Perry is the only one that Rush can trust his secret with, for now.   On her way to the bridge, Perry bumps into Simeon, except her thinks she is Gin.He approaches her aggressively, saying “we need to talk.”   Perry explains that she's not Gin, but that isn't enough to get rid of Simeon. Fortunately, Greer arrives just as things look like they're about to go bad.   So Amanda Perry becomes the second human to set foot on Destiny's bridge.   I don't think she really appreciates being pulled into Rush's little game. Her absence has already been noticed. It's harder for her to explain her disappearance than for Rush. So Rush has complete control over all the ship's systems now. Navigation, propulsion. He actually doesn't need Perry at all. It's just that she's the only person he trusts. She steers the ship to go rescue the others. That's gonna be a hard one to explain. Rush tells Perry to tell the others he sent her to the engine control room, but not to answer their calls until then.   Eli isn't buying a word she says. And that's when he thinks to check the Kino feed. He looks at the algorithms Rush shared. Meanwhile, Young arrives to discreetly hear Rush and Perry talking. It seems the game is up. Eli, Brody and Volker find the bridge, with Perry sitting in the captain's chair.   And Eli is NOT HAPPY.   Young hears it over the radio. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Young starts to beat Young up. “You're the reason Riley is dead.” Suddenly all the weird things that happened this season make sense to him.   Young took Riley's death very hard. Now he has somebody to blame for it, and rightly so. Rush IS to blame for Riley's death.   The age-old rivalry between these two all comes back out. Rush has no illusions that people will follow him, but he doesn't want Young to be in charge either.   Rush tries to justify it, saying he couldn't let any of those vital system be mishandled. Young counters with “Like causing a shuttle crash, and one of our best young people dying.”   Frankly, even with Young's near breakdown last episode, nothing that Rush says seems to hold much weight with me at this point.   It's funny, the fierst few times I watched this show, certainly the very first, I was pretty undecided between these two, thinking they both had good points. But the more I've come to like and appreciate Young's character, the more I find myself on team Young. Which is not to say I don't Rush's character. I really do. He's a complex person underneath that exterior.   Rush's biggest argument is that Destiny's mission reqjuires more commitment than anybody on the ship is willing to make, other than him.   Young is confused by this. There's no mission other than getting home.   But Rush has discovered the original mission. The reason the ancients constructed the ship in the first place. It's not about getting home, it never was. It's about getting where they're going.   This is a huge moment in the show. It's a turning point because nothing will be the same after this episode.   A long time ago, the ancients made a discovery. They found evidence of a structure hidden within the cosmic microwave background radiation, left-over from the big bang. They believed at one time the structure had genuine structure. Complexity. Coherane. IT could not have occurred naturally. It's not possible under our current understanding of physics. We can't even see it with our current level of technology.   It's a message of some sort, from some kind of intelligence. From the beginning of time.   The big question is, sent by whom? That's the very question the ancients sought to answer. That's why they built Destiny.  That's the mission. A mystery rooted in the foundation of reality. A puzzle with piece scattered all over the universe.   Rush now has access to the ship's archives. There are volumes of information about it. The ancients left behind data about all of this.   Rush argues that somebody has to see this mission through. Why not us?   Rush wants Young to stop saying they don't belong on that ship. He wants Young to work with him on this. To actively pursue this mission.   Young rightly points out that it would be a lot easier to work together if Rush didn't keep secrets from him all the time.   Rush now offers to put their rivalry behind him, for good. For the sake of the mission. They previously made an agreement to do just that, for the sake of the crew, but Rush's heart was never in that agreement. But…..for the mission? Now that's something Rush cares about.   So…is he being genuine? I have no doubt that Rush would happily continue keeping all of this from Young as long as he could, and actively try to get Young removed from command.   But now the game is up. Now it's all out in the open. So, is Rush genuinely changing his strategy? Is he truly willing to put his differences with Young behind him and work together toward accomplishing this ship's mission?   I think he is. Rush will use whatever tools he has to in order to achieve his ends. If that means sucking it up and working with a man he believes doesn't have what it takes and doesn't deserve to be here, he'll do it. Because the mission is all that matters.   And I think as we observe Rush's behaviour moving through the rest of this season, I believe we'll see that.   Just as their conversation comes to a natural ending point, Destiny arrives. That's just one of the conceits of TV writing. Actually not just TV. We control the pace of a story by conveniently having the next beat in the plot happen when our characters have nothing more to talk about.   They may have control of the ship, but that doesn't mean they know how to fly it. Think about how long it took to learn to drive a car. Now think about how much training people receive to learn to pilot a plane.   There's more to flying a spaceship than just understanding the equations. Perry manages to crash them into the alien wreck but she's got them where they need to be. Unfortunately, the wreck is now spinning, which will make the rescue much more difficult.   Scott has now found the scientists in the bridge  He understandable wants to know what the hell is going on, but there's no time for explanations.  Not until they finish their menourvres, anyway.   Eli is calculating a jump, so they can launch at exactly the right moment to reach the hull of  destiny safely. It sounds tricky.   Rush launches and makes it. Despite what some space opera suggests, moving about in space with only a suit is not so easy. They don't just have jet packs so they can fly wherever they want.   Well, at least they're now on the hull. That means that can just find the nearest airlock and get inside.   Eli is excited and overwhelmed by the information in the archives. Eli is sitting in the captain's chair, probably fulfilling all his nerdy dreams. It's surreal but awesome to finally see the crew manning stations on the bridge. There's a planetary system coming up . They see if they can make the ship drop out of FTL. Eli even raises his hand in a very Picard-like manner. I love it.   But while they're all geeking out over the bridge and the mission. Rush goes to see Perry. Rush reveals his true feelings about Young to Perry. He didn't trust him before, but now, he's got no choice. So yes, he is going to trust and work with Young because he has to.   Perry didn't appreciate being put in that awkward situation, but at the same time, she is very flattered that of all the people he could have chosen, she's the one.   He's been thinking about her a lot since she last came on board the ship. She revealed her feelings for him then. Now he's wanting to act on those feelings, and so is she.   Eli walks in on them just as they're starting to kiss. Young wants them on the bridge.   How far would they have gone if Eli hadn't interrupted them? We can't know for sure, of course, but in TV / movie language, a passionate kiss is basically a prelude to sex. Kiss then cut to another scene means the characters had sex. So I think it's reasonable to assume that's where things were headed.   This, is the culmination of the theme I've been talking about since the beginning of the series, and I think, the last time it'll come up. The theme of how you treat another person's body when you are inhabiting it.   As rush leaves, Eli says to Perry, “You know, with the stones, it's easy to forget you're in another person's body.”   Remember, from his perspective, he's seeing Gin with Rush. That means the woman he has feelings for was about to have intercourse with Rush, at least, her body.   And as I've said before, I feel that this is a violation, on a similar level to rape. It's not exactly the same as rape. It's a different violation, and probably a lesser one, because the consciousness of the person is not being violated in the same way, but their body is. And I find that unconscionable.   Of course, I can see why Perry would have done it. Her body doesn't function. The one person she loves is on the other side of the universe. This is literally the only way she will ever be able to experience that kind of intimacy with anyone again in her life.   But it seems that Eli's words really impact her deeply. She realises that she was about to do something wrong, and she feels pretty bad about it. His words have definitely made her think.   And then Simeon enters her room, and Greer is not there to stop him this time. The episode ends before we see what exactly goes on. But this will be followed up next time.   So “The Greater Good” is a massive episode that alters the status quo of the show significantly.  So let's talk about the great revelation of the ship's mission.   It's pretty startling. The show is revealing that there was some form of intelligence at the very beginning of the universe. For a show that sometimes felt like it was rooted in more of an atheistic worldview, this was quite startling.    And some people didn't like that. They felt that by acknowledging an intelligence at the beginning of the universe, that the show was now endorsing the existence of God. I can appreciate that, especially for those who became fans of this show because of the whole “killing false gods” thing, that became a staple, certainly of SG-1. This revelation might feel like a bit of a betrayal of the show's roots to those who really connected with that aspect.   Although, to me, Stargate never came across as outwardly atheistic as some feel it was. The laughable gods that were the Goa'uld system Lords were unrecognisable from anything I feel is worthy of the name. Even the Ori and their Origin belief, which were meant to be stand-ins for organised religion, were a far cry from my experience.   As somebody who does believe in God, I was intrigued, and maybe even pleasantly surprised by this turn. It definitely captured my imagination. I mean, a quest to find a message from the dawn of time is a very compelling story idea.   But would they have been able to pull it off? I think it's a question worth asking, especially as in recent years, we've seen Star Trek shows setting up some pretty interesting things, but not always paying them off in overly satisfying ways. Pay-offs are hard.   So what endpoint did they have in mind for all of this? And I'm choosing to believe they did have an end-point in mind, rather than just making stuff up as they went. It would have been almost impossible to come up with an ending that would have been satisfying to everyone. If they revealed it really was God, then they'd risk offending the atheists, and potentially theists as well, if the God of the show wasn't portrayed the way the viewers believe. If they'd revealed that the intelligence was something other than God, then they risk offending viewers who do believe.   I think an important thing to remember in all of this is that it's just a TV show. A lot of the entertainment that I consume is written from a worldview vastly different from mine. I don't choose to be offended by it, I accept it as a story that I enjoy that simply doesn't line up with my beliefs. That's okay. I mean, it's par for the course when you're a sci-fi nerd.   One route, they might have chosen to take it ultimately is to leave it all very vague and “unknowable”. Which is basically what Ronald D Moore's rebooted Battlestar Galactica did. I didn't mind that, but in a way, having it all unknowable could be pretty unsatisfying as well. Especially since the whole point of the mission was to discover the answers.   I guess I'm just saying that this was a very cool set-up but writing a satisfying resolution would have been challenging. But then, the writers working on this show were very talented, and I actually have faith that they would have done it justice, had they been given the chance.   One thing I'm pretty sure of is that they would have tied Destiny's mission into the mysterious Faith Planet and the super powerful beings that created it.   In any case, the set-up is exciting and opens up so many interesting possibilities for where the show could have gone from here. It's a very compelling mystery.   We're heading into what I think a lot of people consider to be the best of Stargate Universe. Which is pretty exciting.   Next time, we'll be talking about the episode “Malice.” where Simeon will take centre stage.   Until then, have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.

"Trial and Error" is a perfect example of why Stargate Universe is so good. This is a beautiful character piece. It shows us the strain that leaders often go through. In this episode, Colonel Young must confront his own weaknesses and flaws, and the pain of the burdens he has been forced to carry since arriving on Destiny. It's fantastic television. Plus, on a lighter note, Eli and Gin meet for the first time, and their romance begins to blossom. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, And I am a Nerd.   This is episode 76 of the podcast. Today we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Trial And Error”   And happy new year. This is the first episode that will air in 2022. We've made it through yet another year. The very first episode of this podcast went live in December 2019. That means we're now 2 years old. How crazy is that? I'm very proud of what I'm creating, and I hope those of you who are listening are enjoying it too.   The description on Gateworld reads “Colonel Young sees a recurring vision of Destiny being attacked and destroyed by hostile aliens, causing him to fear he is losing his mind.”   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie. It was directed by Andy Mikita And it first aired on the 2nd of November, 2010.   TJ has been running a bunch of tests on Chloe and Scott, ever since the transfusion of Chloe's alien-altered blood healed Scott of his infection. Chloe's blood remains altered, but Scott's seems to have gone back to normal. That's good news for Scott. It means he may not have been affected long term by whatever the blue aliens did to Chloe. But will Young be willing to trust him?   The truth is, Young seems to have something else on his mind. He's very distracted when TJ recommends letting Scot out of isolation. He doesn't even argue.   He reveals what's bothering him to TJ. His wife, Emily, wants a divorce. We haven't heard much about her since early season 1. Telford really messed things up for him, and honestly, he made things even worse himself. The tragic thing is that it was the modified Lucian Alliance personality that wrecked  Young's marriage, not the real Telford. But let's face it, Young's marriage was already on the rocks long before he set foot on Destiny.   Young raises an interesting question. Is it legal to sign papers in somebody else's body? I don't know the answer to that. But it's a genuine problem in the real world. Not the body-swapping part. But the law has always lagged behind technology. It makes sense why. Technology can move at a rapid pace. One advancement increases the speed of the next advancement. Laws are complicated and clunky. They take time to create and change. There's a lot riding on them, afterall.   You can kind of understand Emily's perspective here. She and Young were close to ending their marriage anyway, and now he's on the other side of the universe and she'll probably never see him again.    So….Eli and Gin meet for the first time. Camille introduces them to each other. It makes sense. She's studied ancient technology just as Eli has. They should work together. You can tell that there's a spark there immediately, at least from Eli's side. Of course, he acts maturely and professionally. Gin is in a lot of ways, a female version of Eli. She's close to his age, and quite attractive. Camille suggests they dig out Eli's old research on dialling the gate from within a star. He'd given up on it, but maybe Gin has some new ideas that could revive it. I think Camille knows these two are gonna hit it off. You can kind of see the little smirk on her face. It's a cute scene.   Scott goes to see Chloe. She's having a hard time in lock-up. She's not contagious but she's being kept in isolation in case she blacks out and sabotages the ship. How must she be feeling? Scott tries to encourage her. She saved his life. That proves she's still herself, not just some alien monster. But we know that deep down, Scott has concerns about Chloe. We saw that in his vision last episode. This is when Chloe reveals that she is changing. The skin on her leg is going all blue, wrinkly, hard, and alien. And it's spreading. That's not good. What will she become?   We've left the blue aliens behind. We're not even in the same galaxy as them now, but their legacy is definitely remaining with us.   The man whose marriage is ending, spinning his wedding ring on the table is something of a cliche now, but it does show what's on Young's mind.   Brody calls him to the science lab. 9 alien ships have arrived and are surrounding Destiny. The blue aliens. Maybe they are capable of travelling the void between galaxies as well. Their obsession with Destiny could be motivation enough to leave their galaxy behind and pursue.   They're demanding we hand Chloe over. It's possible she's been gathering intelligence for them this whole time even without her knowing.   When Young refuses, they open fire on Destiny.   Something doesn't quite add up. Destiny is very important to the aliens. They wouldn't intentionally destroy it, but they're banging it up pretty bad. The glass window in the observation deck blows out, throwing Scott into space. The aliens keep firing and Destiny explodes.   Then Young wakes up.   Of course, this is sci-fi, so a dream is rarely just a dream.   Young had previously put the repair of Destiny's weapons on hold until they have a greater understanding of the grid that powers them. Somebody was recently injured trying to repair them. We don't even understand what's wrong with them. But Young has told his people that getting the weapons online is now top priority.   He's taking his dream very seriously. We know that the dreams likely mean something, because we're watching a TV show. But what exactly is making Young think that his dream is anything more than that? A dream? There's Chloe's transformation, but that doesn't mean the aliens are coming, or that they're even capable of coming.   I think the whole thing has just been an uncomfortable reminder that they are pretty much defenceless right now. And that's a difficult position to be in. Maybe that's enough.   Camille is worried that all Young has gone through emotionally in recent time is clouding his judgement.   Rush goes to visit Chloe. He uses the pretence of bringing food to ask her to look at some equations for him. Chloe asks if Rush's efforts to help her with the chair were real or just for show. He answers “of course it was real,” but with Rush, who really knows? Rush sees the advantage in Chloe's situation. He feels he's the only one who does.   Chloe's ability to understand alien equations IS a benefit, and perhaps one they should be willing to make use of, but it doesn't help her. And Rush comes off looking like someone who only cares about Chloe for what she can do for him. And that's at least partially true.   Chloe worries he has a vested interest in keeping her this way, rather than trying to help her. Would he actively try to sabotage any attempt to help her?   Rush reveals to her that his research has taken a turn, and that he may be on the verge of understanding Destiny's mission. So that's a big thing.   I think Greer feels a bit like a chaperone watching two kids on a first date while he guards Gin and Eli. The poor bloke looks pretty uncomfortable. The tension in the room is pretty awkward. At the same time, I think Greer is glad to see Eli happy.   Young has the dream again. The exact same dream. But he makes different decisions this time. He's in control of his actions in this dream. He retains memory of the previous dream. This time, instead of using their weapons, they divert all power to shields. It doesn't work. Once again, Destiny is destroyed.   Now he's ready to take Camille up on her offer. Good. It's always annoying in shows when characters keep this stuff to themselves. She immediately notices that he's been drinking. But that's not the cause of his dreams, or visions, whatever they are. It's just another symptom. But she thinks maybe this is not the time for a therapy session. And under normal circumstances, that's probably correct. But now's as good a time as any to tell someone about his dreams.   The dream feels much more real than a normal dream, to Young. That in itself is evidence that it's more than just a normal dream.   Camille is a little concerned that he's ordered people to do dangerous work in response to a dream, but Young believes there's something else going on here. Young knows this is more than just a dream.   Camille suggests going to see Chloe. He hasn't spoken to her in a while. Chloe immediately knows why. “It's hard for you because of what you might have to do.” Wow. That's insightful, but kind of horrible.   Chloe knows people are afraid of her. She also knows that if she keeps changing, Young is going to have to do something he doesn't want to do. This is at the centre of everything that's going on.   I love the brotherly interaction between Greer and Eli. As he says, he knew Gin was into Eli after the first ten minutes, and if Eli were ever to have a chance with someone, this is it. Which amusingly comes across as both insulting and caring.   We haven't seen a lot of these two characters together, and I quite like it. Greer is going to arrange to leave them alone, and encourages Eli to make his move. Now that's a huge thing for Greer, because he's very serious about security.   This time around, in the dream, Young decides to try handing Chloe over. And she doesn't resist. She knew it might come to this. She said as much when they spoke in the real world.   Still, it's a very brave thing the dream Chloe is doing. Willingly going with the aliens. Scott reacts the way he would. He beats the crap out of Young for giving away the woman he loves But it was all for nothing. The aliens still attack once they have Chloe.   These dreams are helping Young try out strategies, seeing what works and what doesn't. But, who's to say that things would play out in the real world, the way it does in the dream.   TJ finds Young at the still and she reveals the whole story about her baby and the faith planet. Young doesn't believe her, but if anyone on this ship can understand that what appears to be a dream could be much more, it's Young.   But it's different. If TJ's dream is real it means her baby is alive. If Young's dream is real, it means they are all doomed.   You can see why he doesn't want to believe. Eli shows Ginn his documentary. There's a clip where Brody demonstrates how ancient toilets work. I kinda want to see that. I'm rather curious to know how they might differ from human toilets. I mean, the ancients were physiologically the same as us.   Greer gets called away. “It could take a while,” he says, being deliberately obvious, which he thinks is a good thing. But Eli runs after Greer. The fact is, he has no idea how to make his move.   While Greer tries to scholl Eli in how to talk to a woman, Ginn watches some very vulnerable footage of Eli talking about his Mum.   Eli thinks he's blown it. How is Ginn going to be interested in a grown man crying about his Mum. But that's when Ginn kisses him. The truth is, that kind of honesty and vulnerability is what intimacy is built on. Not that I'm an expert. I'm still not sure how I managed to win the heart of my wife. I'm just glad I did.   Destiny drops out of FTL. No planetary system. No countdown clock. When Scott goes to tell Young about it, he looks like crap, and seems pretty disinterested. “You'll figure it out.”   Rush didn't cause this. He's on the bridge, trying to figure out why it happened.   When Scott asks Eli his thoughts he mentions he's been working with Gin and then just kinda starts rambling about their potential relationship. It's actually pretty funny. But nobody has time to hear this right now.   Eli has uncovered that the ship is running a simulation of its own. It's a battle scenario where the ship drops out of FTL and is surrounded by alien ships. That sounds very familiar.   Camille immediately recognises it as Young's dream.   Rush finds the simulation around the same time. Ghost Franklin encourages him to look closer into it. Something about the simulation is overriding normal operations. The big question is why.   How is the ship affecting Young's dreams? Perhaps it can manipulate a person's brain waves. Could the ship be trying to warn us of an impending attack?    Could this be related to Chloe's blackouts?   Both Rush and Camille think Scott needs to assume command. Young is in no state to command if the aliens come. They theorise that the ship is testing Young's emotional stability, and that he's failing.   Scott doesn't want to hear this.  But the truth is, Young has locked himself away and has effectively abandoned his responsibilities.   Rush says the ship doesn't have emotions but it can analyse data and form conclusions.  It's conceivable that the ship really does think that Young is not in a fit state to lead. Of course, that fits very nicely into Rush's narrative.   Rush and Camille are not going to try to stage another civilian coup. That didn't work so well last time.   I really feel for Scott. He's in a difficult situation. His chosen way of dealing with this is not to take command, but to go to Young and try to make him pull himself together.   Scott tells Young everything. The simulation, Camille's theory about it all. Young concedes that maybe this is Destiny's way of telling him he should be replaced.   Young has always been aware of his flaws. He's tried every day to overcome them, but right now, he's at a very weak point, probably because of his impending divorce.   Young confronts Scott with the hard truth he doesn't want to face. The day is coming when they may have to put Chloe off the ship. Everyone knows it's coming. “How are you going to look at me then?” he asks.   It's kind of good that all of this is coming out in the open. It's stuff that needs to be dealt with.   But Scott has some hard words for Young too.   “Nobody asked for this. But you're the commanding officer. You don't get to feel sorry for yourself, and if you don't like that, too bad.”   This is the hard thing about people in senior positions. Military commanders, prime ministers and presidents. CEOs. senior pastors. When you're at the top, there's nobody above you to turn to. The buck stops with you. It can be a lonely position. It can take a huge toll, because you don't get the luxury of being weak like everybody else.   But in the end, you're still just human like everyone else. So what happens when you ARE weak. Either you fall apart and walk away, or you face it and deal with it somehow.   And that's what Young tries to do now. He unloads all of his grief and pain onto Scott. Technically, this is inappropriate. Scott is his subordinate. But Young has nobody else. And honestly, he trusts Scott more than Camille, and things are too complicated with TJ.   Young is still hurting from when he had to kill Riley. On top of everything else, it adds up.   Young feels that he can't take it anymore. He asks Scott to leave.   Scott hasn't had to live with what Young is living with. “I couldn't do it,” he says. “Live with the burden. That's not me. Or TJ or Camille.”   “Rush could do it,” Young ironically says. “For Rush it wouldn't be a burden.” And that's exactly why they need Young. Young is struggling so much because he has a heart. Deep down, he's a good person who cares. The ship is better off with a flawed and broken man who has a heart, than a capable and clinical man who ultimately cares only for himself.   And I agree with that.   Young is a good commander, because he still has a heart. And it's never going to stop hurting. That's the whole point. But for the sake of everyone on the ship, he's going to have a learn to live with it.   Man I love this scene. It's beautiful!   And so, Young takes a deep breath, washes his face and puts on his jacket. I almost get the same emotional feeling from this as seeing Clark Kent suit up as Superman for the first time.   Young is back. He enters the science lab and asks Brody for an update. He's back for real. He's making decisions. They may not be perfect, but they're good ones.   And that's when Destiny jumps back to FLT. It's satisfied that Young is doing his job again. This all feels very triumphant.   I kind of almost wish the episode ended here. But…there's a twist. Rush bypassed the simulation. That's why the ship went back to FTL. So….was the ship satisfied with its evaluation of Young or not? I guess we can't be certain. As for me, I'm convinced Young is doing everything humanly possible. Young is the right man for the job. Oh, he's still going to need to find ways of living with all he's going through. He's still flawed and broken. But there is nobody better suited to the job on that ship than him. And I'm convinced of that.   But as Rush says from the captain's chair “The ship may have been evaluating Young, but I control the ship.”   And at the moment that's correct, because he's the only one who knows about the bridge.   But it's telling that even the ship itself sees Young as the real leader, not Rush. And I think Rush is pretty put out by that.   The aliens were never a threat. The ship would have logged any signal that Chloe might have sent them. But Franklin gives us a sombre warning, just because one threat is behind you, it doesn't mean that there isn't another one ahead.   I didn't remember this episode. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, but I loved this episode. This is why SGU is such a fantastic show. It does character drama so right.  This show doesn't get near enough credit.   The writers really should be commended.   Young isn't just going to be magically fixed by the next episode. This will be an ongoing journey for him. And that's what I love about modern TV. Serialisation isn't just about season-long plot arcs, raising the stakes more and more until you have to pay it off at the end. Serialisation is about consequences. Consequences for the larger world as a whole, but also consequences for individual characters. And that's what I love.   Next time, we'll see how Young continues to deal with his problems as he gets trapped on an abandoned alien spaceship. I'll see you then for “The Greater Good.”   Until then, have a great, live long and prosper, and happy new year.  

Today's episode of Stargate Universe is a little different. We have two parallel stories. One, in our usual setting, where Scott has been exposed to a dangerous alien infection, and another, where our characters are oddly living normal lives on Earth. This episode gave the actors a chance to do something very different to their normal roles. It also allows us to really dig deep into Scott's mind, and learn what he's really thinking and feeling about things. Having looked deeper into it, I find it's cleverly written. Join me as we see what Cloverdale has to offer us. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 76 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Cloverdale.”   The description on Gatworld reads Lieutenant Scott is infected by a plant-like organism while surveying a planet, and suffers severe hallucinations of another life back home on Earth.   This episode was written by Brad Wright It was directed by Alex Chapple And it first aired on the 26th of October 2010.   Science fiction offers its writers some interesting creative freedoms that simply don't exist in other genres. One of those freedoms is the ability to do an episode like this one. The opportunity to shake things up and offer a completely different setting. Allow the actors to play different kinds of characters than normal. To really explore a ‘what if' idea without completely destroying the story's world.   We open on a very strange shot. It's a close-up of Scott's eye. Various colours, out of focus, swirl around him. The eye blinks, as if he is waking up. It's very disorienting, and deliberately so.This is one advantage film and TV has over books. They can pull out a lot of these interesting visual tricks. It goes a little way to making up for the things that books can do which film can't.   After a few seconds, we cut to a normal shot. Scott is sitting in a car. The colours that were swirling around him was actually the view of the passing world outside the car window.   He's being driven somewhere by greer. They're both in uniform. It's immediately obvious that this is Earth.    This is the moment I realise they're not in a car, and Greer is not driving. They're actually in a bus, and this is their stop. A place called Cloverdale.   At this point we're wondering what's going on. Is this a flashback? A dream? A parallel universe? A flash forward to a time when the crew have returned home? The possibilities are endless.   Scott and Greer seem to be returning home from a deployment, given the very military-looking luggage they're carrying.   Scott sees Eli and Young on the other side of the road. He's excited to meet up with them. As he crosses the road, he is hit by an unseen car. At that same moment, he collapses on the jungle floor of an unknown planet, surrounded by SG crewmembers from Destiny, clutching at his arm which is covered in some blue glowing thing, and screaming in pain.   Okay, so that's interesting. We've got two parallel stories going on here. One is a normal SGU episode, with our characters exploring a planet, and another is playing out on earth, with the same characters, but they are somehow linked.   Whatever the blue thing is, it's causing him a lot of pain, and TJ doesn't know how to get it off him.   They're trying to get Scott back to Destiny. Rush runs on ahead to the stargate, to bring medical supplies back.   Back on Earth, Young is standing over Scott, who seems remarkably uninjured given he was just knocked over by a car. The driver of that car turns out to be Brody. Things are not quite right in this early scenario. Young is Scott's father. Young and Greer have never met, Chloe is Scott's high-school sweetheart, and Eli is Chloe's brother. So these are not our normal characters. We're using the familiar actors to play new roles with new relationships, and yet, there are similarities. Their names are all the same. Their personalities are very similar.   Scott is here to marry Chloe. Eli is producing the wedding video, and treating it like a documentary. I swear that Eli and I are long-lost brothers. But then, I'm not as smart as he is.   Scott is hoping for a bachelor party, which Greer apparently hasn't organised. This is a twist on a common trope, where the groom doesn't want a party, but the best man incists. You know, it's funny, but I immediately buy the Scott / Chloe relationship in this false reality more than I ever have in the real world.   Chloe notices a big red welt on Scott's arm, right where the blue alien thing is in the real world. He dismisses it as a minor injury from getting hit by the car. But then he collapses.   Rush is asking for various medical supplies. Prominent among them is the alien venom, which has sometimes proven useful. But the whole moment is sobred when Rush asks for whatever is appropriate for cutting through bone. If they can't get rid of this alien contagion, TJ may have to amputate. On the jungle floor. And presumably without any anaesthetic. It's too horrible to contemplate. But, there are times in real life when it's had to happen. Personally, I think I'd almost rather die. You'd probably pass out quickly from the pain, but the time leading up to that would be unimaginable hell.   So back on Earth, Scott and Chloe are going to see a movie together. I had a good laugh when they walked into the cinema as the MGM logo played on the big screen. Amusing, of course, because Stargate is an MGM production.   The couple kiss, remembering the first time they came to this cinema, but on the screen, something familiar to Scott is playing out in the movie. A young man and young woman, who look somewhat similar to Schott and Chloe are on an alien planet, looking at a field of flowers that change colour when touched. It's a nice little sci-fi worldbuilding thing like the singing plants on Talos IV in the original Star Trek Pilot, The Cage. As the characters touch the flowers, a wave of colour sweeps through the field.   It's a very romantic looking setting. Scott warns the characters to get out of there, as the woman suggests walking through the flowers barefoot.   Giant plant-based tentacle things emerge from the ground and attack the man. He cuts it with a knife, but a little bit of blue acid drips from the creature onto his arm, burning it, and becoming the contagion we saw on Scott's arm in the real world.   So this, apparently, is a representation of how it first happened. Scott is freaked out by all of this. It seems familiar to him. He soon realises, talking to Chloe, that all of that couldn't have really happened. After all, alien plants are not real, right?   Isn't it interesting that the grounded, more realistic earth world in this story is very clearly the fantasy, and the science fiction world of aliens and spaceships is the obvious reality. Now, of course, we know from the history of the show that this is the case, but somebody watching this episode for the first time, with no prior knowledge of Stargate, would easily come to the same conclusion. Because the rules of reality just don't work right in the Earth scenario. Things happen that shouldn't. The characters are seeing and experiencing things they couldn't if it were real.Of course, it's also obvious that Scott is going to have a hard time convincing those around him that their normal world is false, but the one filled with aliens is real. I find this stuff fascinating.   Anyway, Chloe is trying to keep Scott busy to help the preparations for some kind of surprise bachelor party. And it seems Volker is in on it. But they manage to pull the party together early, given Scott didn't want to stay and watch the movie.   In the real world, we learn that the alien venom has had no effect, which sucks. The contagion won't react to anything. Rush argues the only thing left to do is amputate. TJ says Scott wouldn't want that, but Rush points out any rational person would give up a limb to save their life.   At the party, we see Lieutenant James playing the role of bartender and Scott's ex, just like in the real world, but Scott is getting pretty inappropriately physical with her. Not just flirting but actually trying to lift up her shirt.  And despite his questionable past when it comes to women, this is not Scott's style. Not the real Scott. James calls his bluff by offering to drive off and go all the way together.  That snaps Scott out of it, but we see that this James is really not over him. I think the real James is. I'm sure she's still got some hurt deep down about the way he treated her in the pilot, but she's not holding out for anything from him.   Telford is the local cop, making sure these drunk party-goers don't drive in their condition. Scott is grappling with what is real, and what is not, feeling like he's actually meant to be someone else. The others just dismiss this as the alcohol, but Telford gets all weird about things. It's like he knows the truth.   Mercifully, the real Scott is already unconscious, which is good considering TJ is about to cut his arm off.   The make-up effect of the contagion on his arm is pretty good. But when TJ cuts in with a scalpel, his blood comes out bright blue. The contagion is in his bloodstream, which means amputation is pointless. It won't solve anything. Okay, so he's not gonna lose his arm, but how are they going to save his life? This was kind of their last shot   They have 3 hours before Destiny jumps to FTL. But Rush has already given up. In reality, they have less than 3 hours because they'll be overrun by the alien tentacle things in about 1 hour.   One thing they all agree on is that they can't risk taking Scott back to destiny. He might infect everyone else.   Doctor Park points out there's a good chance this infection is how the alien organism reproduces. They don't know all the details of how it works, but as she says “We have to assume that the reason this thing infects people is so it can spread.” And that makes perfect sense.   Greer is building a barricade. Anything outside that is the kill zone. We have to hold the gate for three hours. He is determined to give the scientists their 3 hours to find a solution to this.   In the real world, Chloe is concerned that Scott is only marrying her because that's the expected thing to do. He dismisses that idea. He's off to see the justice of the peace, to make sure he can perform the ceremony. That justice of the peace turns out to be Rush. Rush also asks Scott if he's having second thoughts. Which is interesting. And we learn there is some tension between Rush and Young in this world as well.   The alien creature is pretty cool. What we see above ground is only a small part of what it is. It exists underground as a huge root system spreading out over the planet. It waits for its prey to get close and then strikes. You have to wonder what it usually attacks. Humans are on this planet for the first time. There must be some native animal life on this planet.   Young wonders if it's a plant or an animal. Park suggests it may share aspects of both. Young orders all non-combatants back to Destiny, including TJ. Which is weird. So….he's abandoning all hope of saving Scott?  In which case, why the need for combatants. Might as well get everyone except Scott back on the ship. It's pretty weird. They find a droplet of blue on Chloe's shirt. They cut it off. It seems not to have touched her skin. Greer tries to burn it, but it doesn't burn easily.   Now it's Eli's turn to question whether Scott is truly committed to this marriage. Unlike with the others, it feels like Eli has some grounds for concern. Scott has lost all his enthusiasm. He's acting out of character. Now, I've never had a hangover, so I don't really know what it's like, and how long it lasts, but this seems like more than just a guy with a headache. He comes across as someone whose heart is no longer in it. Now, we know that Scott is questioning reality, so most of what he's going through stems from that, rather than last night's alcohol. Eli says that nobody thinks of Scott as a one-woman guy. So apparently in this world, he also has a reputation as a bit of a womaniser. But he insists he wants to marry Chloe and raise a family with her. Eli doesn't believe him, and doesn't think Scott believes it either. And then Scott collapses again.   Eli has a little moment with Scott in the real world. “Nobody is giving up on you,” he says. Chloe is right about Eli. he is the ultimate true friend.   Chloe does something rash and foolish. She infects herself with the alien contagion. They weren't going to let her stay with Scott. Now they have no choice. It may seem romantic, but it was a stupid thing to do.  This is the last thing Scott would want. It hurts him, and it hurts her friends. Frankly, I think it's a little out of character for her. Chloe isn't this stupid or selfish. I'm not saying she's a saint, but I think she's better than this.   On earth, TJ is a paramedic. Scott is still dismissing his fainting spells. I still can't believe how lightly they're all taking his getting hit by a car. That's a serious thing. He really should have been checked out properly after it happened.   There is a lot of pain, resignation, and a little judgement, in Eli's voice as he says “Bye” to Chloe.   But it turns out, there may have been a little method to Chloe's madness. The earlier injection on her clothes should have touched her skin. It should have infected her. And it didn't. So she's decided to test it. Maybe she's immune. And if that's the case, maybe they can use that, somehow, to help Scott. Of course, these kinds of medical investigations tend to take a long time. It's not something that can happen in 3 hours.   Chloe's hand doesn't hurt. Matt was in agony.   Now earth-Scott is having doubts for real. Wondering if it's right for him to marry Chloe. What if he hurts her. He asks his father, Young, for advice. Young says “Wake up.” Now THAT's interesting.   Chloe's blood is still red, and the contagion on her hand is already healing. The theory is that whatever the aliens did to her has given her immunity. Her blood might save Scott, but it might also pass on to him, whatever the aliens did to Chloe.   TJ has no other options. She sets up a transfusion.   Eli is walking Chloe up the aisle, suggesting that in this world, as in the real one, that Chloe's father is dead. The scene plays out as Rush performs the wedding ceremony while Greer and his team fight off the alien plants with flamethrowers. It's all good, but there's not a lot for me to say about it.   There IS a cool moment when a tentacle nearly gets Chloe and Scott, but the kawoosh of the event horizon disintegrates it as the gate dials. It's pretty cool.   As Scott is about to make his vow, he notices Chloe's face is all blue. That's when Scott wakes up. All the blue stuff cracks off his arm. They all escape through the stargate just in time before Destiny jumps.   Young is really not happy with Chloe. They'll both be put into deep quarantine indefinitely. But maybe this is not because of the contagion on the planet they've just escaped. Maybe it's because Chloe has now revealed that whatever the aliens did to her was not undone by the chair. And now Scott has been exposed to it as well. How will Scott react to that one?   In the end, I'm left asking one important question. What was the point of all the stuff on Earth?   Oh, it was fun to see the characters in a new light, and I'm sure the actors had a blast. But what does it actually add to the story? My assumption is that all of that was Scott's hallucination while he was under. So I guess it can give us some hints as to what his subconscious is thinking about.   His relationship with Chloe is central to it all. It's obviously of vital importance to him. He sees Eli like a brother figure, well brother-in-law, which is kind of nice. He sees Young as a father figure. No surprise there.   So perhaps what we're meant to take from all this is that Scott is thinking about his future with Chloe. Will they commit to remain together forever? We know he's been asking these questions lately. Just last episode he vocalised some of it to Chloe.   But it appears he is also having some doubts. He's worried that he's not good for her. He's worried that his previous womanising ways might return and cause problems between them. But in a way that feels like a cop-out. We don't use our past mistakes as an excuse for not making a change in our life and being better now and into the future.   I don't remember them especially following up on these ideas through the rest of season 2, but you can bet I'll be keeping a keen eye open to see any hints that they continue to address these thoughts.   The last thing we can glean from the dream is that Scott is concerned about the genetic modifications the aliens made to her. What does that mean? How human is she still? I think this is at the root of his relationship doubts. It's all very interesting.  And this is made ever more interesting now because he's about to find out that he's potentially been exposed to whatever is alien about her. Now he'll start dreaming about himself as an alien. Scary stuff.   I wouldn't have picked up on any of this if I hadn't been looking for it. That's an advantage of podcasting a show. It tends to make you look deeper into it.   So that was Cloverdale. I liked it. The sci-fi stuff on the planet was cool. A good solid sci-fi story. And the character stuff in Scott's imagination was interesting, and a little bit fun.   Next time, we'll be talking about the episode “Trial and Error” and it'll be Young's turn to question whether he's losing his mind.   I'll catch you then.   In the meantime, have a great two weeks.  Live long and prosper. Make it so.  

Chloe is acting strangely on board destiny. But hidden within her is knowledge that Doctor Rush can use to unlock the secrets of Destiny. Meanwhile, back on earth, we do some deep character stuff with Eli and Camille. This is what Stargate Universe does best. Join me as we dig into this episode of Stargate Universe. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd   This is episode 75 of the podcast. That means we're 3 quarters of the way to 100, which is pretty cool.   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Pathogen”   I've already recorded this podcast once today. But for reasons that will remain a mystery for all time, my microphone died so the whole thing was silent. So I'm doing it all again now, and I'm not gonna bother with video this time around.   I'm curious. Those of you who watch on youtube, do you actually care one way or the other? The sound quality is probably better when I don't use video because I can hold the microphone close to my face, which looks stupid on camera.   Anyway, curious to hear people's thoughts.   The description on gateworld reads Chloe's increasingly erratic behavior leads the crew to suspect that she may be under alien influence. Eli returns home when he learns that his mother has fallen ill, and Camille finds Sharon struggling in her absence.   This episode was written by Carl Binder. It was directed by Robert Carlyle, who of course, plays Dr. Rush. And it first aired on the 19th of October 2010.   Chloe is sitting at a console in a random room on Destiny. She has no memory of how or when she got there. She's a little freaked out about it but so is Eli. Scott is also concerned. Chloe has been acting strange lately. Withdrawn. Could any of this be related to her miraculous healing? It's actually nice seeing these two talking together about their common concern for her.   Despite the fact they were both vying for Chloe's affection, there has never really been any malice between them. Eli respects Scott because he knows that he cares about Chloe just as much as he does.   Scott asks her where they're at. If they weren't on the ship, would they even be together? Chloe's answer is “of course.” This is when Scott admits that this is all new to him. He's never been good at relationships, but he wants to make this work. Remember back in early season 1, I was pretty hard on Scott. To the point of being kinda judgemental, if I'm honest. But at this point, you can't deny that Scott has changed. He's a different person than he was in the pilot. He doesn't want to be the womaniser who uses women and then throws them away. He wants a real loving relationship with Chloe.  I thought that needed to be acknowledged. It doesn't doesn't get Chloe to open up, though. Rush is still keeping news that he has control of the ship to himself. He's having difficulty with the countdown clock. Franklin taunts him saying he's making things more complicated than they already are by being one person trying to do the work of an entire crew.   He talks about how Young is reckless and unsuited to lead the mission. But right now, nobody is being more reckless than Rush. He's the one putting everyone at risk. He's become everything he despises. You'd have thought he'd have learned a little something from Riley's death. But it appears he hasn't. But it's not just that. Brody and Park are starting to get suspicious of him. The ship is acting weirdly and he doesn't seem surprised or even interested. He says he's busy but won't explain where he is. The guy is really slipping.   Eli is informed he's gonna have to use the stones to go home. His mother is sick. That's the kind of news nobody wants to hear. He gets to earth and speaks with the doctor. His mum has stopped taking her medication, which is causing her to get very sick. They can help her, but the doctor's concern is that she'll stop taking her medication again. To Eli, the solution is simple. Don't let her stop. Don't release her. But I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Patients have the right to refuse treatments. Doctors and nurses can explain, recommend, and plead with a patient to do what's best for them, but they can't force. At least, not under normal circumstances. This is how it is in Australia, anyway. My wife is a nurse. I assume it's the same in America. It turns out that Eli's mum has severe depression.  She has to want to get better, and right now, it seems that she doesn't.   Eli does his usual speel. “I'm airman Tracy and I work with your son Eli. He's really worried about you.”   “Not worried enough to be here himself?”   And that's the problem isn't it. She came home one day a year ago and her son was gone. The air force said he'd gone somewhere classified to do important work. And she hasn't seen him since. Hasn't even heard his voice. Of course she's got depression. No wonder she doesn't want to get better. She thinks her son doesn't care. Might as well be dead. Because where is he?   Eli has always thought that his mum couldn't handle the truth about stargates, alien spaceships and communication stones, but the lies are slowly killing her.   Young has made the decision to set the Lucian Alliance prisoners free. It's something of an exchange. The more they give, the more they get. They've been generous with the intel lately, so he's going to allow them out of the brig, to walk about the ship.   Now, while Camille thought Young was being too harsh on them, we now learn that Greer thinks he's being too lenient. He thinks that releasing the prisoners is a mistake. There's an escort on each member, so they're not completely free.   So what do they do with their newfound privileges? Simeon's first act is to whisper something offensive in Doctor Park's ear. Her crewmates are quick to come to her rescue, Volker probably biting off more than he can chew, standing up to the clearly stronger Simeon.   But Greer sorts him out quickly. Orders him to be taken back into his cell. Now on one hand, it might seem that incarceration is a pretty serious punishment for something offensive, but I tend to think that Greer was correct here. Simeon has been given some freedom and he immediately abused that freedom. He needs to learn that if he behaves inappropriately, he's gonna lose the freedom. Some of these people are a bit rough around the edges, and they have to learn that they need to coexist peacefully with the crew.   We learn that Chloe is missing. They're forming search teams to find her.   Rush has taken them back into FTL.  He's getting tired. He's gonna make some nasty mistakes if he's not careful. I'm finding I have little sympathy for him. If he'd just bring in other people to help, things would go a lot smoother.   When Young comes to see Simeon, he's a lot more apologetic. Owning up to his behaviour, acknowledging that it was inappropriate. Sounds like he really wants to hold up his end of the bargain and earn Young's trust. He's not off to a good start today   They find Chloe in a dark room trying to pry open a case. When approached she seems to ‘wake up' and not know where she is, again. She fell asleep in her quarters and then James was talking to her. TJ can't find anything physically wrong with her. . Eli has come back to visit his mum again. He's trying to be upbeat, but she's not interested. She finally opens up. “Why doesn't he call me? It's not like him.”   So it's time for him to open up to her. To be honest. He starts awkwardly, asking her about her favourite movies. He uses ET as a lead in to start blabbing the details of the Stargate program to her. “Why are you telling me this?” she asks in frustration. “Because I am Eli,” he blurts out.   It's a very emotional moment. “I'm on a ship but my consciousness is in this person's body. It really is me, mum.” She looks pretty freaked out.   Trying to explain all the science about this is going about as well as he predicted it would. She doesn't believe him. So he tries a different tactic.   He talks about something personal. The day his dad left.  But that doesn't do the trick either. “He could have told you that.” She's really agitated and wants Eli to leave. Man, just put yourself in Eli's position right now. That must be really painful.   Chloe has been writing in her journal. It's all in alien languages. Some of it is ancient. Some of it is from the crashed alien ship. The blue aliens. So did the blue aliens do something to her when they took her? Rush theories it's some kind of genetic manipulation. Young thinks it's dangerous to let her roam the ship like this, but Rush has a controversial alternative. Let her do what she's doing, and learn from it.   Meanwhile, Camille has also come home to earth for a visit. And speaking of people who are acting a little oddly in a relationship, something seems a bit off about Sharon. She's lost her keys, something she never does, and when Camille tries to make light of it, she snaps.    Eli and Camille meet up. She's the only friend he can talk to about all of this. He often feared that his mum would give up if anything ever happened to him. Eli is fine but he's seeing his fears play out in front of him. As far as she's concerned, the military took her son away and won't let him talk to her. Eli would give up too.   Scott is escorting Chloe, but Rush wants to take over. “Time for shift change. Colonel's orders.” Do you think Young actually had anything to do with this? Oh, I'm sure Young ordered that there be shifts, so nobody gets burned out shadowing Chloe constantly, but Scott is worried that Rush is wanting to use her for his own purposes. Which, of course, he does. Let's be honest. Doesn't mean he intends her any harm, of course, but Chloe has knowledge he wants to make use of.   He takes her to see something he obviously never showed anyone else. A place for study. Alien writing and mathematical equations cover all the walls. It looks like a mad scientist's den. The truth is, Rush and Chloe have something in common. They were both taken by the blue aliens. That common bond is still there. He wants to know if she recognises anything on these walls.   Sharon asks Camille how Eli's Mum is doing. She explains that physically she's ok but all of this is taking its toll. Her voice slows as she says that. I think she's suddenly getting some insight into how Sharon might be feeling. TJ goes to meet Varro, the Lucian Alliance leader, to talk about Simeon. Young is prepared to release him again. Varro will talk to Simeon. Varro is not impressed. “We're trying to make this work and you're ruining it for everyone.” Simeon is not so apologetic when talking to Varro. “I was just talking to a woman.” It seems it was all an act for Young.   And then Simeon says something very interesting. “Sooner or later they'll realise that all the information we've been feeding them in a bunch of lies anyway.” But Varro answers “The information you've been feeding them.” Simeon thought they were all giving misinformation. But Simeon and the others are cooperating. For real. We have to find a way to get along with these people. Simeon is shaken by this. The idea of truly making peace and cooperating never even occurred to him.   When the ship drops out of FTL again, Brody and Park try to get their heads around it all. They can't find a meaningful explanation, but it's suspicious. The ship drops out, no gates in range, and changes course. And Rush is always absent when it happens. And Young says it outright. “He's making this happen.” Brody doesn't know how Rush is doing it, short of cracking the master code.   Young confronts Rush. He knows Rush is lying. He demands to know where Rush was. The truth. So Rush shows them his mad den. He gives up a minor secret to protect his big secret. Chloe solved one of these equations. One he'd been struggling with for weeks. He has successfully diverted attention from his secret. As a result of this revelation, Young has Chloe put in isolation as a precaution.   Simeon is allowed out again, and Greer tells him to remain in his quarters. The section of the ship he was in before is now off limits. Greer was correct earlier in the episode, but now he's pushing things. Now it's personal. Now it's macho chest thumping. Simeon is a dangerous variable that needs to be handled carefully. I think Greer is making a mistake by pushing him around in this way. He's going to provoke him. When Simeon points out Greer acts all tough with his weapon and his men, Greet immediately gives up his weapon and dismisses the men. No doubt about his bravery. Greer is tough. And that's enough to make Simeon back down. I dunno, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe what Greer did here helped to put Simeon in his place.   Camille and Sharon finally have a frank conversation. Sharon knows this is Camille in somebody else's body, but she misses Camille's real face. Her real voice. Camille realises that this is all harder on Sharon than it is on her. But these visits are what is keeping Camille going. Nothing is really resolved. Nothing is able to change. But the conversation is important. Sometimes just sharing pain can help. It's a good scene.   Eli goes to have one last conversation with his mum. She admits he is all she had. She didn't realise that until he was gone. She asks if she'll ever see him again, and he has to admit, with tears, he doesn't know.   Camille pulls some strings to get Eli's mum something that is technically beyond her clearance level. She's allowed to know the truth about Eli, but she's not allowed to visit Destiny. But Camille makes it happen. For the sake of Eli's emotional stability.   And so, Mrs. Wallace is welcomed aboard Destiny by Colonel Young. And then she sees him. In the flesh. “I'm real.” Call me a softy but I got pretty choked up when this happened. What can I say? I'm a parent.   He takes her to the observation desk where they can look out at an alien planet.   Eli promises he'll never stop trying to get home. He doesn't want to just leave her. But at the same time, she can see the joy in his face at being able to see these things and experience what he's experiencing. And that's what every parent wants for their children.   “We're gonna be okay, Mum. You and Me.”   That's what she needed. She'll be leaving the hospital tomorrow. Now she has a reason to go on.   Now that she knows the truth, even if she won't be able to see him face to face like this again until he gets home, she has hope. She knows he's out there, and next time he visits in somebody else's body, she'll know it's him.   Rush has a controversial idea about helping chloe. The neural interface. The chair. His theory is that the chair won't allow any non-human to use it, so if she is connected, it will eliminate anything alien that is in her.   But that chair is the same thing that effectively killed Franklin.   And Rush doesn't have a great track record of caring about people other than himself when it comes to the chair. Not to mention, he can't prove his theory.   Scott is understandably concerned. TJ agrees this is the only option anyone has come up with.   Young won't force her, but he will present the option to her and give her a choice. And she's willing.   She's in there for a few seconds. She's breathing and her pulse is steady. Rush thinks it worked, but they'll find out shortly.   Eli thanks Camille, but more than that, he acknowledges that this is something that a lot of other people would want. This is especially meaningful given what went on with her and Sharon recently. Sharon would really benefit from a trip to Destiny, and Camille would love that too.   But when you think about it, why not? Why not allow loved ones to come visit destiny and see the crew? I mean, if they already have clearance to know about the stargate and destiny, what does it hurt if they see it?   Ultimately, I think the reason was more of an off-screen reason and an on-screen one. The writers didn't want family members traipsing all over the ship constantly. That would make it feel less remote. They wanted to maintain that distance, at least at this point in the show.   But Eli has had a good idea. I'm surprised nobody thought of it sooner. Sharon comes to visit Eli's mum. The family of Destiny's crew could be a great support to each other. They should be forming a support group together. I can very much see them all becoming a family, as much as the crew on destiny are becoming a family.   Rush admits to Chloe that she isn't actually cured. Why he's keeping that from everybody else is anyone's guess. IT won't remain a secret for long. Rush reveals the answer to his dead wife. He thinks Chloe can help her. She'll play along and pretend to be cured if she values her freedom. But what about next time she sleepwalks? I'm not sure how that is supposed to work.   Anyway, I guess we'll find out as the season goes on.   This was a fantastic character episode. This is one of the things that Stargate Universe does best.   Next time, we'll be talking about a very different kind of episode. One that allowed the actors to do something quite different to what they were used to. I'll see you then for Cloverdale.   Have a great 2 weeks Live long and prosper Make it so      

This the Stargate Universe episode Awakening, we encounter an ancient seed ship and meet a new mysterious alien race. Exciting stuff. I had some technical difficulty while recording this episode. I lost the audio of most of it, and so had to re-record. Despite that, let's dig in and get some enjoyment out of this episode. Video Version: https://youtu.be/gHuLlgNzR6g ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a Nerd   This is episode 74 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Awakening”   The description on Gateworld reads “Destiny encounters an Ancient seeder ship, which may hold the key to getting the crew home. But they soon find that the ship is not unoccupied.”   This episode was WRITTEN BY: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie It was DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita And it first aired on the 12th of October 2010/.   We left off last episode with Destiny approaching an object in space. It appears to be a ship. Eli notices the similarity in appearance to Destiny. It must be of ancient design.   Am I the only one that thinks it's a bit premature of them to arm weapons and prepare to fire? I guess they want to be cautious, given what they've been through with the blue aliens last season, but those who have seen BAbylon 5 will know this is just how the Earth Minbari war started.   Rush rightly predicts that Destiny is going to dock with the ship, as it does.   Astute viewers of Stargate Universe have probably already guessed what that ship is. The only other ancient ships we know of in this part of the universe are the seed ships. Those that travel ahead of destiny and place stargates on suitable planets.   There's more than one of these seed ships. This one appears to have suffered some kind of failure. As soon as they docked, Destiny started downloading all the latest information the seed ship has collected.   Rush wants to go over there and look around. Who wouldn't? But he needs to be here to analyse the data that's coming through. Honestly, that would also excite him. And at this point in the recording, my microphone died. It just stopped working. So..I'm now recording this for a second time, on a weekend I barely have time to record it once. I'm not even going to bother with video this time around. So you'll have to excuse any frustration in my voice.   Telford is wanting to be a part of things again, now that he's finally himself. He's still being briefed by homeworld security. I think there's still a little bit of distrust going on with him.   It's a very interesting dynamic having Telford on board the ship this season. I like it. But then I tend to like any kind of status quo shift.   Eli is pretty excited about the data. That's before he even knows what it is.   Chloe is worried about TJ. She doesn't fully appreciate what TJ means when she says her baby is in a better place. Remember Chloe's leg wound from the end of last season? It seemed to miraculously heal itself? Well now it's almost completely better. TJ doesn't know what to make of that.    And as always, I'm glad they're picking up these threads. It felt a little like the finale set up all these dangling things that had been forgotten. I don't always remember which ones get addressed. But the more times I watch this show, the more trust I have that the writers had a plan. Not everything gets dealt with immediately, but they don't just forget this stuff.   Rush has made an excuse to go visit the bridge where he can review the data in private. He thinks he's found a potential way home, but the image of his dead wife thinks he's not going to share that information with anyone else. Rush has never wanted to go home. But will he really withhold a means for the rest of them to return to Earth? Is he really that selfish? He doesn't know. He thinking about it.   Telford is willing to acknowledge that Young is the commanding officer of this ship. But he wants to be part of the loop. He wants to share the burden of leadership because Young has been slipping. He's had to carry an enormous responsibility and he's understandably tired.   Is he being genuine here, or is he trying, subtlely to wrest control of the ship from Young? If so, he's doing it in a very different way than Rush. A much more friendly way.   This new dynamic between the character is fascinating to watch. Remember, they used to be friends once. Now, Telford has become that person again, and Young is trying to put aside the amnity he had with the brainwashed Lucian Alliance Telford, and give his old friend the benefit of the doubt. But it isn't easy.   Rush is watching all of this with keen interest. Rush doesn't think much of Telford either, but he's probably weighing his options. Who is the better leader to back? Young or Telford?   Brody and Volker have got the power working on the seed ship. Now that the lights are one, we get to see a  bit more of the cool production design. The look of these ancient ships can be quite intricate.   Gin wants to help. She has experience with ancient technology, but Young will have none of it.   Varro wants to know how much longer they'll be locked up. He and his people have cooperated with homeworld command. They've provided valuable intelligence on the Lucian Alliance to Earth.   Varro HAS been an ally to Young. He wants to know honestly, what will it take for them to earth their freedom. Young answer is they need to prove to him they're not a threat. When asked how they can do that, he honestly answers, I don't think that you can.   Well….at least everyone knows where they stand.   But the truth is, at some point, Young is going to have to start trusting them. It's a risk, but one that might just pay off.   It turns out, Camille told the prisoners about the seed ship. She feels they have a right to know what's ging on. Young's perspective is they're prisoners. They don't have any rights.   Young seems to be at odds with everyone today.   Camille expresses a similar sentiment to what I was just saying. They're gonna have to learn to live with these people some time. But Young disagrees. No, we don't.   I do get Young's perspective. He wants to protect his crew. But he's actually going against the will of his superiors back on earth now. Is there anyone Young is NOT fighting against at this point? He doesn't want to risk his people on the whims of people on the other side of the universe. But...they're still his superiors.   He's forgotten one thing, though. Earth is at risk as well. The Lucian Alliance is making a move in the Milky Way galaxy.   We learn they're planning a service for Riley, who died last episode. I've said it before, but I love it when they acknowledge the severity of redshirt deaths in shows like this. And yes, Riley was more than a redshirt, in the Original Star Trek sense. He was more of a semi-recurring guest. But still….   Eli has found something. The seedship has significant power reserves. Enough for Destiny to use to dial the stargate back to earth. So this was the secret Rush had already found. I guess he doesn't have to decide whether the share it or not now. Eli was smart enough to figure it out himself.   The stargate factory is pretty cool. Rush isn't impressed, though. But then, a way home is kind of more important.   And that's when Volker has a close encounter with our second major alien race in Stargate Universe. Once again, it's a CGI creature, which, in my opinion, makes it significantly more exotic and alien than a human with bumps glued to their forehead. (and that's nothing against Star Trek, I love all those bumpy races, but these aliens just suit SGU a lot better).   Anyway, the alien doesn't pose much of a threat to Volker as it collapses on the floor. (of course there could be a threat from disease)   The plan was to get rid of the worst Lucian Alliance people and only keep those who were cooperative. But that doesn't mean some of them aren't still violent. One of them is pretty creepy. He seems to be getting close to potential rapist territory. Fortunately, TJ is a trained soldier and is able to put him in his place.   TJ is heading over to the seed ship to examine the sick alien. Young agrees to let Telford go along. The alien isn't dead. It appears to be breathing.   When TJ touches it it wakes up. These aliens speak verbally, unlike the blue ones, but it's clearly an unknown language.   I like the design. It's bipedal but shorter than an average human. And the shape of the head is very different to ours, with round eyes. Its hands have very long claw like fingers.   Scott tries offering it some fruit. Turns out the alien doesn't like the fruit any more than the humans do. I wonder what they eat.   They've succeeded in initiating a power transfer between the two ships. That's good news for everyone, well everyone except Rush.   Greer has found what look like alien eggs. The alien isn't alone. Sounds like they're more like space transport pods.   The gate is dialling. But just as Eli says “we're going home” the power transfer is interrupted.   Not only has the transfer to destiny stopped, it has now reversed. The seed ship is taking power from Destiny. It's the aliens. They've stunned Rush and are taking our power.   If their reserves get so low that they can't do an FTL jump, there'll be no way to recharge. They're not near any stars right now.   Telford is trying to find a way to reverse the direction again, while Young wants to disconnect the ships. Telford's plan is risky, because the aliens clearly don't want the seed ship's power drained.   They need Rush in the Destiny control room to figure out how to disconnect. But he's disappeared. He's probably still unconscious.   Telford is still their best hope at not being stranded.   But before he can complete it, the two ships disconnect. Eli coldn't figure out how to do it, so how did it happen? Was it the aliens? Was it Rush?   And the answer is…. Rush. He was on the bridge. His wife asks, “Did you do it to save the crew, or to save your dream?”   Unfortunately, this means that Telford is stranded on the seed ship and Destiny is about to jump.   No time to send a shuttle over, I guess.   Imagine how Telford is feeling at that moment. Destiny has jumped, and is out of radio range. He's completely alone on this ship, except for the aliens. I guess he doesn't have long to wonder what he's gonna do with the rest of this life.   Given their number, he's now their prisoner.   The mood on the ship is pretty grim. They came so close to being able to get home.   If Rush hadn't disconnected them, Telford probably would have succeeded, and they'd be on Earth now.   And that's where we leave it.   We'll be picking up the threads of Telford and the Aliens, but I'm not sure when. Next week, we have more of a character-based episode, Pathogen.  

In this instalment of our Stargate Universe podcast, Rush makes a staggering discovery. Destiny's bridge. But can he take control of the ship? Meanwhile, a team go to a restricted planet in hopes of finding food, and Young must deal with the aftermath of the recent invasion by the Lucian Aliance. Specifically, what to do with those prisoners left onboard. This is a great episode of Stargate Universe, filled with tragedy, mystery and moral ambiguity. Come with me as we dig into it. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to nerd heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd   This is episode 73 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Aftermath”   The description on Gateworld reads Dr. Rush directs a shuttle to a planet inaccessible by Stargate -- but a crash landing threatens to strand those on board. Meanwhile, Rush makes a stunning discovery on Destiny, and Young must decide what to do with his prisoners.   This episode was written by Robert C. Cooper It was directed by Will Waring And it first aired on the 5th of October 2010.   In this episode's recap, we revisit the chair device, which Franklin sat in and transformed into mist, and the code in human DNA that may eventually unlock control of the ship's computer.   Rush is having nightmares about his recent torture at the hands of Kiva. He finds Doctor Park in the computer room. He solvers the issue she's struggling with in a few seconds and moves on, to continue roaming the ship. It's an amusing moment.   But Rush isn't wandering aimlessly. He approaches a door and opens it. And enters a room. And as the lights come up, we begin to realise just where he is.   The bridge. Rush has found Destiny's bridge. It's immediately recognisable to anyone who has watched science fiction before. There are consoles all about, and one seat in the centre. The captain's chair.   Evidently, this is not the first time Rush has been here, although there is still a look of reverence and awe on his face. No, he walked here on purpose. He's been here before. And he's seeing an image of his dead wife, Gloria. And she voices what is going on in his head. He's finally unlocked the master code. He has control over everything. And he's not going to tell anyone.   This is a very Rush move, but we still have to ask the question why. We'll be exploring that for a while.   This was a very exciting moment for me, when I realised what Rush had discovered. You'll notice we never saw the bridge of this ship during the entire first season. We weren't even sure if there was a bridge. That was a bit of a bold move, to do an entire season of a show set on a spaceship and never see the bridge, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Remember, our characters are not in control of this ship. They're not the crew. They're just along for the ride, going wherever this ship wants to go. That itself was also interesting.   But having gone that entire year without it, it makes the discovery of the bridge feel like an event. It's more momentous. It's more exciting. I thought this was brilliantly done.   So let's talk about the bridge itself. It's very in keeping with the visual aesthetic of Destiny, we've seen control panels before, but the internal layout is pretty reminiscent of Star Trek. It's basically what all of us nerds expect, and want, a bridge to look like. But the interesting thing is that it actually folds down into the ship, and retracts back up. Kind of like the blast shield in the original Battlestar Galactica, but in reverse. When it's embedded down inside the ship, it can't see anything out the front window. But it's also safe and more protected from enemy fire. When it lifts up, they get a beautiful view out the front of the ship. This was a nice bit of design.   Camille is interviewing Ginn, the Lucian Alliance scientist. Ginn is explaining what the alliance knew of the 9th chevron. The address that leads to Destiny was known in ancient legend. It was said that it led to the power of the gods. But Ginn isn't thinking of the Goa'uld, who ruled over most of the Lucian Alliance people, until recent time. She's thinking of the ascended ancients. Which is more accurate, since Destiny is an ancient ship.   The legends say that Destiny is capable of controlling time and space. And that get's Camille's attention. That's why the Lucian Alliance wanted to come here.   Ginn explains that the alliance has actually been around longer than we might have thought. They predate the fall of the system lords. But they were quick to fill the power vacuum left over by claiming all that leftover Goa'uld technology. They came to Ginn's world and seized it. The only food they had to eat was what the Lucian Alliance provided. So they really were slave masters, just like the Goa'uld before them.   They controlled what was taught in schools, and they recruited children to fight on their behalf. Ginn herself was forced into service a few years ago with death threats against her family.   Suddenly we have a lot more sympathy, not just for her, but for a lot of people working for the Lucian Alliance. These people are not all willing members. Does that justify the things they've done back in the Milky Way, and here on Destiny? Who do you forgive? Is Ginn innocent, but Kiva guilty? Where is that line drawn? It's all very complicated.   Ginn argues that the alliance survivors are not getting enough food. Nobody on board is. Welcome to Destiny. You people chose to come here. Life on this ship sure isn't easy.   Young has to decide what he's going to do with these people currently being held. But he's not going to make the decision alone. Camille will have a voice as well.   Ginn argues, as if pleading for her life, that some of them have been cooperative. They can be trusted. They can contribute. But it keeps coming back to that difficult question. Which of them do you trust?   Conveniently, the Lucian Alliance still thinks Telford is one of them. So he's still spying in the cell.   And now we see the other side of things. The crew in the mess hall are complaining about the lack of food. “Maybe we shouldn't be giving our rations to the enemy,” one of them says. It's easy to treat your prisoners well when you have plenty of resources. But when your food is running out, it becomes tempting to deny the prisoners first. But, they're human beings too.   Riley says “The way we treat prisoners says everything about us as a civil and moral society.” And that's a very good point.   Young has a different perspective. He doesn't think this is about the proper treatment of POWs. These people invaded the ship and tried to kill them. “I was just following orders” is not an argument that Young finds very convincing. They're not all as nice as Ginn. Park is afraid to go to sleep, just knowing there are people on board that would kill her if given the chance.   I don't think Young has made up his mind yet, but he's definitely trying to counteract Camille's perspective.    So…. what do you think? What would you do?   Rush thought it was going to be easier to control the ship, just like turning a key, but this ship was designed to be run by a crew. Gloria points out the ship has a crew.  But Rush means a crew that knows what they're doing. It always comes down to this with Rush, doesn't it. Nobody else is smart enough. Nobody else can operate at his level. He has a similar arrogance to Rodney Mackey. And yet, expressed very differently.   Rush thinks this ship was never meant to run on it's own. They were supposed to send a crew. But they never did.   He's being smart, leaving the ship on auto-pilot until he knows what he's doing. Right now, he's trying to understand why Destiny stops at some planets but not others.    We still don't know exactly what Gloria is. How is she here? Is Rush just losing his mind? Or is there something more?   The crew desperately need food and Rush has found a planet that should be rich in plant life, and yet, it's locked out. Destiny won't be stopping to let them gate there. Why? Rush makes the decision to drop them out of FTL. Everyone is confused. Why did the ship drop out when there are no active stargates to dial?   Rush argues it away by saying the planet is in shuttle range. The ship knows about this planet because it does have a gate. The gate is just non-functional.   It's actually pretty plausible.   TJ isn't fully recovered from her ordeal, but she's got skills they need, so she's going on the mission. The shuttle ride will take an hour each way. That leaves them 5 hours on the planet. They hope to repair the gate. If it's in range again next time they drop out, they might be able to gate back to it.   Gloria tells Rush he's missing things. Making mistakes, but when he ignores her, she suddenly becomes Doctor Franklin. So that's interesting. Franklin is telling Rush things that he hasn't noticed, which means he is more than simply a manifestation of Rush's own mind. He's separate. That is fascinating, but what he reveals is of concern. The super-rotation in the planet's atmosphere will cause some nast turbulence. Theoretically, the shuttle should handle it, but then, it is millions of years old.   Just as they think they're okay, the engines just cut out and they crash, essentially falling out of the sky. It's a thrilling sequence. It looks visually spectacular for its time and it's pretty suspenseful.   Riley's legs are pinned, and he can't feel them. The shuttle isn't in good shape. If they can't find the gate and repair it, they'll be stranded on this planet forever.   Moving Riley could be dangerous for him, but if they don't eventually, they won't be able to get him to the gate. But when they try to move him they discover the metal is cutting off circulation to a wound. Even if they could get him out, he'd likely bleed to death.   Rush has really messed up this time. He's not operating at his usual level and it could cost a bunch of people their lives. The reason he says he's keeping the bridge a secret is because the others won't know what they're doing. But he's proving to be pretty inept himself at the moment. He really just needs to bring others into this. Keeping his discovery a secret could get everyone killed.   ..And now the Lucian Alliance are rioting.   And Destiny has just jumped. So… that five hours went quickly. They've basically done nothing. I suppose they spent all that time trying to walk to the gate.   There is still some hope that the planet might still be in range next time it drops out of FTL, but there's no guarantee.   Greer has found the gate, but it's buried under a whole lot of rock.   Rush thinks that Gloria and Franklin are either hallucinations, because he's losing his mind, or they're the ship trying to communicate with him. But they actually serve an important narrative job. With Rush keeping this to himself, he's got nobody to talk to. Now in a book, you can have internal monologue, but that doesn't work on TV. Stories are primarily told through dialogue, and that means he needs another character to converse with.   Once at FTL, the ship needs to run for 4 hours. After that, Rush can stop it again, assuming he can think of an explanation again. But that will be his last shot to save the crew on the planet.   So why keep it a secret? Why not bring others in? Gloria is asking the right questions. And Rush's answer shows that he's still not trusting Young. Young is mentally unstable. Young is not fit to lead the mission. Young allowed the Lucian Alliance on board.   Yes, Young is imperfect and makes mistakes, but Rush is making a bigger mistake right now. Honestly, he needs to get over this thing he has with Young or it might just kill everyone.   TJ and Riley have a great character scene together. As he faces the likelihood of his impending death, his thoughts turn to the spiritual, which often happens. His mother was Anglican, but his father didn't believe. He was never very spiritual himself, but now he's asking questions. He asks TJ what she believes. She isn't sure, but her recent experiences have got her wondering. They've seen some amazing things out here they can't explain. She reveals her experience on the faith planet with her baby. Something she's not told anyone else.   After the recent riot, Young has made his decision. The next viable planet they find, the Lucian Alliance people will be left there. Telford has used the stones to speak with Stargate Command. Young is ordered to keep some key Lucian Alliance people on board. If he doesn't obey, Telford might relieve him. Young asks a good question. Has he earned the trust of the people on the ship enough that they would follow him rather than Young? I'm not sure. I think most of them would be very torn between their loyalty to Young, and their loyalty to Stargate Command.   Digging the gate out could take weeks, so they take the risky move of blasting it out.  This could damage the gate, or worse, ignite it, which could take out half the planet.  Rush has dropped them out of FTL. The planet is still in range, but still locked out. The thing that puzzles Brody is that there are no other planets in range and it's only been 3 hours. So why did it drop out?   Rush has another excuse. It's damage to the engine from the recent pulsar causing them to drop out at shorter intervals. You can tell from Young's facial expression that he's not buying it for a second. Rush is up to something.   They're going to try to override the lockout and dial anyway. It's a longshot. But, they've managed to unearth the gate, so it works. They establish a wormhole! I've never seen Rush so relieved. But what about TJ and Riley?   Young goes to see Riley. It's a difficult conversation. Young reassured Riley that he's a good man. None of this was his fault. Then Riley asks for help. He's in pain. What he wants is a quick merciful death. Wow. That's heavy. So young suffocates him. Honestly, I can't imagine that would be a particularly nice way to go. But I guess it was quicker than waiting to bleed out slowly.   What do I say about this? It's a difficult moral issue, and I don't have all the answers.   What I can tell you is that it hit me harder this time around. Because I've gotten to know Riley as a character a bit more. He's not just some no-name redshirt. He's a significant character on the show. And how he's dead.   And I'm sorry to have to say it, but his blood is on Rush's hands.   Rush tries to justify it, but he knows that all of this was his fault. And there's something else. He says he's found that this ship was named Destiny for a reason.   Most of the Lucian Alliance have been left on the planet to fend for themselves. I wonder what will become of them. Will they all die? Will they become the founders of a new human civilisation in this distant galaxy?   Meanwhile, the conflict between Earth and the Lucian Alliance back in the Milky Way is heating up, and there are fears that they may attack Earth.   Some of those who remain on board are Ginn, Varro and Simeon.   Young is not okay. While the others toast Riley in the mess hall, Young drinks alone in his quarters with tears streaming down his face. And that's okay.   Then something pops up on one of the monitors, and Destiny drops out of FTL. There's an object out there coming into range. Whatever it is, they're heading straight for it.   We'll find out what that object is next time, when we talk about the episode Awakening. It should be pretty cool.   Don't forget, you can find my original works of science fiction, including the Jewel of The Stars series, at AdamDavidCollings.com/books   Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper Make it so.

Today we begin season 2 on our Stargate Universe podcast. This season opens with the episode "Intervention". Destiny is now under the control of the Lucian Alliance, but while TJ fights for her life in the medical bay, she finds herself, and her baby, transported to the mysterious alien planet from last season's episode "Faith". Let's dig in and see how this ongoing plot from last season resolves. ----more---- Transcript Last season, we left off with Colonel Young surrendering his crew to Lucian Alliance invaders who had come through the gate from an Icarus-style planet in the Milky Way galaxy and taken over the ship. The only way to save the crew from dangerous radiation levels from a binary pulsar was to give control of the ship to Kiva, the evil leader of the invaders.   Eli was rushing to open a hatch so Scott and Greer could get inside from out on the hull of the ship.   As is customary, we have a new prologue thing. It changes every half-season, so we'll get another new one halfway through season 2. This one highlights the conflict between Young and Rush, the problems with the blue aliens last season, the mysterious planet from the episode Faith, where TJ wanted to stay and raise her baby, and the recent events with the Lucian Alliance.   The episode begins with TJ waking up in a log cabin on that planet. The faith planet. She feels her belly. She's not pregnant, but she hears the cry of a baby.   Cain is there in the cabin. He was one of the crew who wanted to stay on the planet. He believed that the aliens who built the planet put it there specifically for the crew of Destiny, and that they had a plan.   So we have confirmation that Cain and some others did indeed remain behind on the planet. But Destiny left that planet, left that entire galaxy. Cain says that for the aliens that could make a planet, a little intergalactic transport is nothing.   TJ asks “are you saying they brought me here?” “Well, you're here, aren't you?” Cain replies. So there he goes again, making assumptions. As I pointed out back in the episode Faith, last season, Cain's faith has no basis. Faith is believing in what you can't see, but you actually have to have something to believe in. Cain just believes in things that essentially come out of his own imagination. TJ can't imagine how or why she is there, but it seems that both she and the baby are safe.   Back on Destiny, Eli gets to the door and managed to open it. But it's too late. Scott and Greer didn't make it. We live in that for a few seconds, but then we immediately hear Scott's voice. He had a feeling he wasn't going to make it to Eli's hatch in time so they headed for the back of the ship and the shields must have protected them.   It seems the Lucian Alliance have a new leader. But Kiva is technically not alive. The bald guy seems more interested in taking control himself than helping her, but one of the others convinces him. They're gonna use the stones to try and get a doctor on board to help her.    Apparently, not everyone in the Lucian Alliance is military. They have civilians too. And that makes sense. They are essentially a society. Humans who had been freed from Goa'uld slavery and wanted to band together to make a new life together. But they were pretty aggressive about the way they went about it. Many of them, presumably their military, wanted to fill the power void left behind by the demise of the system lords. Eli gets Scott and Greer back inside the ship, and they're all surprised to see Chloe walk in. She shouldn't be able to walk. Last time Eli saw her she was barely conscious. Now her pain is going and her strength has returned. As if by magic. That's an interesting mystery.   The countdown has started. That means the ship will soon be able to jump out of this dangerous region of space. But for some reason, Rush doesn't appear happy about it. What is he hiding?   The doctors have arrived. Four of them. They're working hard on all the wounded. Things are not looking good for Kiva. There's a bullet lodged in her liver. The Lucian Alliance guy says it would be in everyone's best interest if she survived, which sounds suspiciously like a threat, but I think it's more than that. This guy is one of the more reasonable of the invaders. He knows that if Kiva dies, the bald guy is gonna go crazy and kill everyone.   As for TJ, she's not dead. Not yet. But both she and the baby are in bad condition. They might both die. So her body is still here on Destiny. Has her mind been transported to the planet, or is she just hallucinating while unconscious?   Whichever it is, she seems very happy here with her baby.   TJ is surprised that Cain and his people have built such a comfortable place. They haven't had enough time to make all this. Cain agrees. They were still working on lean-tos with dirt floors when the winter was coming. Then one day, they just found these builds, abandoned.   But that doesn't make sense. They scanned the planet and didn't find any evidence of settlements.   TJ questions that buildings appear from nowhere and that's just good enough for Cain. He says without the buildings, they wouldn't have survived, and that's good enough for him.   And I get that. I'd be grateful for the shelter no matter where it came from, but it wouldn't stop me wanting to know how it got there. Curiosity would drive me to know more.   TJ is thinking this all through logically. Why was she brought here? Not just because she was wounded. There were many other wounded on the ship. Why would she be singled out?   I'd forgotten this whole thing happens so early in the season. I knew it was coming, but didn't remember that it was in the very first episode.   Cain assumes the aliens were scanning them all from the moment they first step foot on the planet. They knew TJ was pregnant. He thinks that saved her because she was bleeding out on the floor. She and he baby would have died if the aliens hadn't intervened.   So problem. Kiva is officially dead. I'm not going to shed any tears, but everyone needs to be worried about what the Lucian Alliance are gonna do next. Especially the bald one.   Scott and Greer have stashed Eli and Chloe somewhere safe and are sneaking around the ship.   That safe place turns out to be the lab. So they're there with Rush and Brody.   Telford managed to transfer some control to Rush. He is currently slowly transferring power away from the shields. The same shields that are keeping them alive. He says he's doing this to prevent the ship from jumping. Which is pretty weird. Surely they want to jump away from here. What is Rush's perspective here? Rush thinks the pulsar levels the playing field. It's a danger to the Lucian Alliance as much as the crew. Sooner or later, the bad guys are gonna have to deal with it. Interesting.   So an interesting thing about this binary pulsar. The writers needed some kind of spatial phenomenon that would present jeopardy to the crew. Pulsars really are as deadly as portrayed in this episode, except, that cycle very very quickly, like every few milliseconds. If one was slowed down to pulse every 22 minutes, it would not have any devastating power behind it. You wouldn't even know it was doing anything.   Stargate science consultant, Mike McKinnon, explained on a recent episode of Dial the Gate, which you should watch, by the way, how they invented a way to make it work. They theorised about a pulsar that was almost ready to start...pulsing….but it was in a binary system with another star that had a whole lot of mass that could feed the pulsar. Essentially, the other start would circle around and every 22 minutes, it would get near enough to the pulsar to feed it and make it go crazy. I'm not explaining it as well as she does.   This was a great idea, and it worked. It made scientific sense, and it met the narrative requirements of the story.   The only problem was, it was completely theoretical. No such system had ever been detected in the universe.   The cool thing, though, is that several years later, researchers found a system just like this in the real world. They called it a Black Widow star.   I just think this is such a cool story, and it shows how seriously the people making Stargate Universe took the science. They could have just invented any old nonsense, and most of us would never have even known, but they took the time to come up with something they thought was plausible, and then the universe said, “Yep, I have one of those. Here it is.”   Very cool.   The Lucian Alliance are arguing about what to do next. Bald guy wants to kill everyone. Reasonable guy wants to stick to the original plan of leaving the crew on a habitable world. Bald guy's only reason for wanting to kill everyone is the fact that Kiva is dead.  I'm not sure how that logically follows. People on both sides have died. This is war. Seems he's driven solely by emotion, and pretty unstable emotion at that.   But another of their number has a different idea. A young woman who we'll come to know as Ginn. She's been on board all this time but I don't think we actually saw her on-screen in the last two episodes. I might be wrong, but if we did, it would have been a background non-speaking role. Seems unlikely they'd have hired an actor just for that and then give her a major role in this episode.   Anyway, she's found one planet they can dial from their current position. It's locked out, probably because it's at the extreme limit of their range, but she can override that. If the planet turns out to be viable, they could send all of the destiny crew (Except for the doctors, who are still working) to the planet.   Reasonable Guy wants to keep TJ. She could be useful and moving her in her condition would kill her.   It seems Scott and Greer were listening in on this conversation.   TJ wants to know how Cain can have any knowledge of what's happening onboard Destiny. Cain can't explain. But he believes the knowledge came from the aliens.   And by the way, TJ's baby is a girl.   Telford is alive. He's just woken up. The bad guys still think he's one of them. Although I think Reasonable Guy is sceptical.   He's already decided the planet is viable. Young says he can't possibly have had time to determine long-term viability. This is a death sentence. But they don't have a choice. The crew are ushered through the stargate. Young is the last to go, taking one last look at his ship, the ship that has been taken from him.   The planet looks bleak. Cold and dark. And there's a storm coming. But Scott, Greer, Rush, Brody, Eli and Chloe are still on board. So there's still hope.   Except most of them have just been discovered.   Ginn can't figure out why the countdown has stopped.   Bald Guy nearly kills Ginn because he doesn't like the answers she gives, or rather can't give. That's how he treats his own people.   Scott and Greer arrive just in time to rescue Rush and the others. Rush tells the invaders that he will keep diverting power from the shields until they lay down their weapons. He claims he and the others are willing to die to prevent the Lucian Alliance from getting their hands on the ship. A bluff if ever I heard one. Rush isn't going to die for any principles. Worst case scenario, he'll try to work with these people simply so he can continue studying the secrets of Destiny. I'm not saying he'd betray his friends, but he's no martyr.   Bald Guy is officially taking command of the Lucian Alliance. “Anybody have objections?” Nobody speaks up. Even Reasonable Guy.   Rush thinks the crew are better off on the planet, because they're out of range of the pulsar. But that only makes sense if the rest of them can survive and defeat the invaders so they can bring them back on board.   Bald Guy has sent Reasonable Guy and his followers to the planet along with Young and his people. So that's an interesting turn. Young has zero interest in seeing these people as allies, but Reasonable Guy says they're there because he stood up for Young. And that's absolutely true.   Anyway, it seems like Lieutenant James has found shelter. So that's good.   Scott and Greer have taken sickbay. The stones connections have been severed. Camille is herself again. The others who served host to the doctors are somewhere else.   Camille confirms TJ is going to make it. But the baby isn't. IT may already be dead.   And that sucks.   But great acting from Ming Na as she breaks down and cries over this. Camille is a very strong character who doesn't readily expose any vulnerability. But this is the death of a baby. Nobody with a heart could fail to be broken by that.   Cain has taken TJ outside to see some glowing lights in the sky. A little like an aurora, but bigger, brighter and more impressive. It looks kinda like a glowing nebula. It appeared last night just before TJ did. Nobody knows what it is or what it means.   Cain expresses his gratitude to TJ. If she hadn't returned with Young, nobody would have been allowed to stay on the planet. They all owe her for that. He thinks that's why the aliens saved her daughter and brought her here. But then he says that only the baby can stay. TJ will not be allowed to remain because “she made her choice.” But Cain has just acknowledged that TJ never wanted to leave, and he doing so helped all of them. TJ is devastated. She doesn't want to go back. She's finally got her chance to be here on the planet.   Apparently, the aliens have told Cain all of this.   Rush is playing a hard and dangerous game. But he's probably right.   It seems that Ginn is Eli's opposite, on the other side. She's the brains behind Bald Guy's brawn.   Telford's familiarity with Rush helps to convince Bald Guy. Telford knows Rush is a coward and wouldn't sacrifice himself. He also knows that Rush would be willing to sacrifice his own people. Just not himself.   Eli makes a good point. Bald Guy is nuts you can't reason with a person like that.   Telford argues against Bald Guy. In the end, Ginn is convinced. She shoots him. She calls Rush and surrenders. They'll comply with his demands.   It looks like the good guys have re-taken the ship.   TJ doesn't want to leave. She wants to be on this planet, but most of all, she wants to be with her daughter, who she has named Carmen, wherever they are.   Cain warns her that nobody on the ship will understand. They won't believe that she was ever here, because what they've seen is different. Remember, her body is still lying on a bed in sickbay.    And with that, she wakes up. Back on the ship. “How long was I off the ship?” she asks. Camille tells her she was here the whole time. Then she breaks the news that her baby died. What they have seen is different. The rest of the crew have been brought back on board the ship from the planet. There are still some Lucian Alliance on the ship, including those exiled with Reasonable Guy. For now, Young is going to put them all together. In lock-up, presumably. Scott tells Young that most of the credit for saving the ship goes to Rush. And he's right about that. We've set up an interesting new status quo for season 2. We have a bunch of prisoners on board, people we are going to have to learn to live with, but will find it very difficult to trust.   Young goes to see TJ. Remember, this wasn't just TJ's child. It was Young's child as well. He's lost a daughter too. It's a painful moment.   We still have the mystery of Chloe's miraculous healing from her bullet wound. Not to mention the weird dissolving man from two episodes ago.   Destiny has only made a short jump. They've dropped out where they were supposed to drop out all along.   The ship is safe and back to normal.   TJ doesn't look like a woman who's lost her daughter, and that's because she believes her daughter is alive and well on the planet. But what are we really to make of all of this? Neither TJ nor Carmen were ever bodily on the planet. Their bodies were on board Destiny the whole time.  So if they now have a dead baby's body, in what sense is the baby on the planet? Did the aliens manufacture a new body for her? Maybe transfer her mind, and her soul into that body? Creating a new body would probably be within their established abilities. Mind transfer, possibly as well. As for the soul, well, that all depends on what you believe. Many people believe that the body and the mind are all there is.   So was any of it real, or was it all a dream TJ was having?   She has no evidence to support it. Only her belief. Her faith.   That is, until she sees the nebula. The shining lights, exactly like she saw on the planet, here where Destiny has dropped out of FTL.   She couldn't have possibly known what that nebula looked like before this moment. That is some hard evidence that what she experienced was more than a dream. That it was, in some way, real. But it's not evidence that can sway anybody else, because nobody else saw it. It's internal evidence, but it doesn't really help her prove anything.   In an interesting way, TJ's faith is significantly more grounded than Cain's was back in season 1. She has something tangible, a foundation for her faith to sit on. She believes what she believes because of what she saw and heard, and because of the evidence of the nebula.   Cain had none of that. He was just making up stuff. Ironically, despite that, he may have been right in some of his beliefs. It does appear that the aliens are aware of the Destiny crew and have taken an interest in them.   Back in the episode Faith, Cain had no basis for believing that, but now, TJ does.   It's all very interesting.   I am absolutely convinced that we would have continued to see more of Cain, Carmen and the faith planet in future seasons. This was clearly being set up as a long-term story element. I can't help but wonder how much the writers had figured out in their heads already. What does Brad Wright know about the mysterious aliens who made the planet? And might he reveal some of it if his new show ever gets made?   I live in hope, and, dare I say, faith.   So that's what I have for you this time.  Next time, we're looking at the episode, Aftermath. I always like it when these big moments get subsequent episodes that deal with the aftermath. I've talked about how hard the writers of Star Trek The Next Generation had to fight to get their aftermath episode following The Best of Both Worlds.   Aftermath will also introduce an exciting new element into the show, which I'm looking forward to talking about. I'll catch you then.   In the meantime, you can find my original works of science fiction by going to AdamDavidCollings.com/books I'd encourage you to check them out.   Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper.   Make it so.  

In the second half of Zack Snyder's Justice League, the heroes attempt to bring Superman back from the dead using the alien "change machine" that is the mother box. Thy must confront Steppenwolf in his lair and come face to face with Darkseid. I delve deep into this movie, talking about the story and themes, and even share my thoughts on Jared Leto's Joker. Thins concludes my analysis of the Snyder Cut. ----more---- Transcript   Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 71 of the podcast. Today, we're continuing our coverage of Zack Snyder's Justice League.   We pick up at the beginning of the second disc with   Part 5 All the King's Horses   With good reason to revive him, and a solid way to do it, they dig up Clark's body. Dianna is amazed to find herself working with an Atlantean, or at least, a half Atlantean. It's been thousands of years since their people have spoken. I think she also mentions that actively fought a war with one another. I'd love to know the history of this. What was their conflict about? What precipitated it and how was it resolved? Did this war take place before the Atlanteans went below the ocean, or before?   Arthur says he hates the Atlanteans as much as the amazons do. Admittedly, he doesn't know much about them. Right now, to him, they're just the people who killed his mother.   But Dianna and Arthur discover that both of their people have a common saying.   Atlantis and Thymascyra both have a saying. “None are taken back from the darkness. Not without giving up one in return.” Well, that's some common ground. But more than that, to me, it suggests a shared history, perhaps a time when these two powerful races tried to cheat death and it went horribly wrong.   And we get confirmation of Dianna's age, which I've been wondering for some time. 5,000. This means that Zeus created her around 3000 BC. This was the beginning of what is called the Helladic period in Greece. It was also the bronze age. It was around this time when construction of StoneHenge began. The ancient city of Troy was founded around this time, which is famous in Greek mythology. So this was the time, in the DC universe, when the Greek gods, whatever they were, were walking the Earth. The time of Darkseid's invasion of earth also seems to be dated at 3,000 BC, which makes me think that Zeus made the decision to create the ‘god killer', that is, Wonder Woman, in response to the invasion from Darkseid and his ‘new gods'. We're told in the Wonder Woman movie that she was created to destroy Ares, but I suspect Darkseid had at least something to do with it as well.   We also learn that Barry is interested in Dianna. Which isn't overly surprising, considering he's a young man and she's an attractive woman. But given their multi-milennia age difference, I don't think they're overly compatible.   So Bruce's plan is to take Superman's body to the Kryptonian scout ship and use the mother box.  Lex Luthor also tried to revive a dead Kryptonian in the genesis chamber of that ship, and we know how that turned out. What could possibly go wrong? Alfred is skeptical about this. Perhaps even against it. “You did it,” he says. “You put the team together to fight the war. You have fulfilled your promise. But to do this. Your guilt has overcome your reason.”   And then he makes reference to that line from humpty dumpty. All the king's horses. And we all know how it goes. They couldn't put him back together again. What makes Bruce think he can put Superman back together again?”   And this is when we get a very interesting line from Bruce. “I'm acting on faith. Not reason.” This is a bit of a theme with Bruce's character in this movie. Bruce is learning to adopt a mindset of faith. It's the only way he can see out of this whole situation. And the movie portrays this in a generally positive light. You don't often see that. I kinda liked that.   Of course, faith doesn't always mean an absence of reason. Those two generally work best together. But Bruce isn't operating out of a blind faith without reason. He's actually got a well-reasoned argument about why he can and should attempt this. But reason alone can't give him a definitive answer as to whether it's the right call. To go that extra step, he's going to have to rely on faith.   And then Alfred says “If you can't bring down the charging bull, don't wave the rep cape at it.” And that's an interesting line. I think Alfred is concerned that bringing Superman into the equation might make things worse. It will introduce an uncertain element into the whole situation.   But Bruce counters with “This red cape charges back.” Which is also true. That's why they want to do this, because Superman may be the only one strong enough to actually defeat Steppenwolf.   “Yes, but what if it doesn't work?” Alfred asks. There is danger in this. Alfred sounds a legitimate caution here. It's a wonderful exchange between two people expressing valid points of view.   Alfred's dialog is so good in this version. The whole exchange is so much better than the equivalent scene in the theatrical cut.   All of Alfred's dialog is infinitely better in this version of the movie.   Some cool music as they get ready to put their plan into action. This is a good midpoint. We're seeing some very solid story structure here. The protagonists are no longer just reacting to all that has happened since Steppenwolf arrived in Themyscira. Now, they're actively going on offensive with a plan. This is the turning point that makes the middle of a story feel satisfying. It re-energises us for the second half.   The first step of their plan involves breaking into the scout ship, which is under very strict controls by the US military.   Barry tries to play the part of a military officer driving the truck, but nearly blows it with his “aye aye”. And then his card doesn't work. Cyborg fixes it with his magical hacking abilities, but they were very lucky to have gotten in. Especially when Barry is surprised to get admitted. Honestly, they should probably have been detained for further investigation.   Silas has just been released from quarantine, having been exposed to aliens and their technology. Now he has a plan as well. He knows the aliens out there are after the box. He's gonna do something about it.   Victor creates a false bio hazard to clear the entire facility.   Silas knows it's a false alarm. But in a situation like this, you don't take chances. I've been a fire warden in the past. When you have an alarm. You ALWAYS treat it as if it's real.   The Justice League break in. All suited up.   Silas confirms the alarm was false. He knows it was a hack.   Then he sees the justice league. His son, centre among them. He knows victor was the one who hacked in. So he changes his tune. He doesn't know what his son is up to, but it's his son. There's an inherent trust there. This is another example of faith. The value of faith is all about what, or who, you're putting your faith in. Silas knows and loves his son, so he's willing to trust him, even without knowing what Victor is up to. He lets him do what he's doing. There's a little nod of appreciation between them. It's very subtle, and yet so powerful. Just that little move of the head evokes a lot of emotion in me.   There are dead bodies in sleep chambers on the scout ship. Ancient kryptonian space explorers. What I'd give to know their stories. The ship knows Clark is here. Different suits open up for him to make use of.   Arthur is hesitant about this.   We don't get the Man of Steel theme here, as we did in the theatrical cut, but we've had it other places.   It's early morning and Lois wakes up. There's that little moment when she realises anew that she's alone. That must be heartbreaking.  Here we get the quiet Man of Steel music. Not the Superman / Krypton theme. A different music. The piece they play on the piano. I think of it as the emotional music. It was often used thematically for Clark's relationship with his earthly parents, or with Lois. It's very fitting here.  Lois pulls out her press pass. She's going to get on with her life. But we see a pregnancy test. So...is she pregnant? We don't see the result, but I believe that Zack Snyder has confirmed that yes, Lois is pregnant. Ultimately, you're not likely to keep a negative pregnancy test in your drawer, right? You throw it in the bin.   There's a photo of Jonathan in Clark's coffin. That's a nice touch. It's fitting that he's here with his son at this moment, saying goodbye, as the son goes back and the father moves forward.   Interestingly, there was a scene in the comics that played out the opposite. Jonathan was having a heart attack. He had a touching moment with Clark, who was heading off into the afterlife, while Jonathan was pulled back into the land of the living by his doctors.   Should Clark's body have started to decompose by now? I'm not sure. How quickly does a human body decay? If he were human, he probably should look pretty gross right now, but he's not. There's something about his body here on earth that won't quite give up.   Luthor's experiment damaged the systems. There's not enough power left in the genesis chamber to activate the mother box. I was surprised that they included this scene with flash running past to wake the box with electrical charge. I had assumed, back in the day, that this was a Whedon addition. But even this moment seems more meaningful, because it shows that Barry can do funny things to time. That will become important later on.   Lois gets her normal coffee. She tells the policeman that she's here one last time. She's later than normal. This is her final goodbye. She's letting go, and moving on. It doesn't mean she'll never come to Superman's monument again, but she's no longer going to make it a daily routine. She's going to stop existing in her grief and start living her life again.   It's interesting that she finally manages to do this just before getting Clark back again.   I'm not sure the whole box drop thing makes a lot of sense. How does one operate the change machine and tell it what you want it to do? It must have some kind of user-interface. We know it has something of a mind of its own, but they are using it to do something very specific. How are they feeding it instructions? There's gotta be more to it than just letting it touch the water that Clark is in.   I kind of wish they'd explored all of this a bit more. There's a complex interaction between the genesis chamber and the mother box in order to bring Clark back to life, but we really don't understand how it all works.   Interestingly, this means that Darkseid's race have the technology to bring back the dead. But maybe it can only do this in combination with kryptonian tech.   As Barry runs at super speed, somebody has a vision. Logically, you would think it's Barry having this vision, since he's the one doing the running, but it appears later that it's actually Victor having the vision.   Anyway, things get weird with time, and we see a flash forward into the future. Dianna  is dead. Darkseid is on earth But it's not the Earth we know. It's all been changed. There are spaceships in the sky. The Amazons are grieving.   This is when we see Darkseid using his omega beams to kill some Atlanteans. A lot of fans got very excited when they saw the omega beams in the trailer. I wasn't familiar enough with Darkseid to understand the significance. They're basically like Kryptonian heat vision, except they can turn corners. Darkseid can control their vector and re-direct them at will, making them pretty darn scary.   Next, we see Superman in a black suit grieving while holding a skeleton, and darkseid touching his shoulder. I'm going to talk about this at the end, when we get to the epilogue.   We see a Hall of Justice sign broken, and a destroyed landscape. It's all very dystopian and clearly is showing a future where Darkseid has won.   The box touches the water, but it's too soon. They've failed. The box isn't yet powered. But Barry is doing time whimey stuff. Time reverses. The box goes up, as the photo bobs in the water. Flash touches the box at just the right moment. Power goes into the box as it touches the water. The change machine does its thing.   This was a nice little way to add some extra tension to this whole scene. And it again reinforces Barry's ability to reverse time.   I can see why Joss Whedon cut this. It's an extra complication that you can remove, and the story still works. This is the kind of thing that you might delete when you're editing a story, trying to shorten it, and looking for non-essential moments you can cut. And that was the task he was given by Warner Bros. I disagree with Warner Bros' brief, and I'm glad Zack put this back in, but I understand, from Joss's point of view, why he did this. It's an editing decision. In the writing world, we call it killing your darlings.   We're told that the future has taken root in the present. But what does that mean? Does that mean the vision Victor just saw is now going to be an inescapable reality? Very possibly. Because as we'll see, Superman is an essential part of that future.   Outside, water spurts out of the ship's roof. The mother box crashes from the sky onto a car.   Superman is in the sky. Lois sees him. So does the policeman. He draws his gun. Who is this? It can't be Superman, he's dead. Therefore, it could be a threat. Lois knows. She'd know him anywhere. But all the cop ses is a silhouette.   Clark lands at the broken monument. This scene is another great example of having the same scene in two different movies, but it's playing out so much better in one of them. Everything here is interpreted differently. Better. It has better music, better shots, better writing.   Clark looks at the monument, coming to terms with who he is and what happened to him. But he's still not quite himself yet.   The way the battle starts is pretty much the same. Cyborg can't control his automated defensive systems when Clark scans them. Clark identifies threats from all of them.   Victor forms a weapon when he senses danger. He can't control it.   Clark retaliates with heat vision, which Victor's suit can repel.   Clark is confused. He doesn't know who he is.   This scene plays move dangerously Dianna's lasso has power over him. She uses it to help him remember who he is. He uses his strength to get out of it. But I think this has started something. This is what begins the process of him remembering who he really is. Even the scene when Barry realises that superman is fast like him and can see him running at super speed in real time, plays more creepy than funny in this version. I like it.   I put myself in Barry's shoes and I feel scared as hell in that moment.   This is an awesome fight sequence. Why didn't I feel that way in the other version? I think it's a Combination of many factors. Music, direction, colour grading, just the overall tone of it all. The military have arrived to try to contain Superman. But of course they can't.   Batman finally arrives. He can't get there as quickly as the others . Some nice realism that we also saw in the other version.   Something in Clark recognises Batman. That guy who tried to kill him in another life.   He makes short work of victor who is just a minor obstacle to him. They're all just minor obstacles. Maybe except Dianna.   But even she can't quite compete with his raw strength.   He hovers over Bruce. It's a dramatic moment. This time around, there are no stupid jokes making fun of BVS. Man, I hated that!   Lucky Bruce has those kryptonian gauntlets. It's the only way he survives the heat vision. He says “Clark no. This world needs you.”   Lois arrives, not because Bruce called him, but because she was nearby already. In the theatrical version, this was the explanation for Barry's “Lois Lane is the key” line in BVS. I always believed this was a retcon, that Zack had something else in mind. And we'll talk about this more later on as well.   When Clark sees Lois, something clicks. He knows her. He loved her.   And in a way ,that somehow doesn't feel cheesy, the power of love breaks through his confusion. He doesn't remember it all yet, but he knows this feeling. This woman means everything to him. He would never let harm come to her. He is gentle with her. Together the two of them fly off.   Flash's “I'm so sorry” is a slightly comedic moment, but unlike the “definately bleeding” it makes sense for the character in this situation.   Now we get to the very emotional heart of the movie. This is why Zack said that Cyborg was the heart of his movie. Silas gets the box and runs into the ship. Remember, he still has his plan. But Steppenwolf shows up. He's found the box. He's coming for it. Silas doesn't have much time.   This is dramatic, scary and thrilling.   It feels dangerous and scary as Steppenwolf breaks in and enters. Such a huge guy. My son said “look, it's Satan” I'd be scared. This version of Steppenwolf sure is intimidating.   Victor realises what Silas is doing. He screams “No” as Silas activates a laser, shooting at the box. And Silas disintegrates, sacrificing his life for his son. Man, there's some powerful emotion in this scene. Victor was just starting to forgive his father, and he loses him.   Remember that saying that the Atlanteans and Amazons share? I wonder if Silas was the one given up in return from bringing back Superman from the darkness.   “I didn't save him. I couldn't.” This actually echo's Superman's words from 1978's Superman: The Movie, when he couldn't save his father. “All those powers, and I couldn't save him.”   Arthur says, “His father is dead because of us. I told you waking that box was a bad idea. Whatever returned isn't superman. His body and powers, but not him.”   Bruce argues, “It is him. He recognised Lois Lane.” “Only because she wasn't afraid of him. That was just instinct.” These are all valid opinions, considering evidence.   Now Steppenwolf has all 3 boxes. He can syncronise then and form unity. Once he does that, the planet dies.   Victor realises something. Silas wasn't trying to destroy the box. He was trying to superheat it. He was marking it so that the league could find it in the world. The core of that box is now the hottest thing on earth. Part 6 Something darker.   Clark and Lois arrive at the Kent farm. This version lets us see some of Clark's journey to remembering who he is. He remembers his childhood house.   The theatrical version didn't let us see any of this. He recovered off screen. That was terrible. Lois and Clark get to have some quiet scenes, just talking.  “She loved it here.” he says of his mother. He IS remembering. Family. Who he loves most. That's what is in his memory the most. He loved it here too. This all makes perfect sense. We get that emotional music from Man of Steel again.   We See the childhood swing. It's a beautiful quiet scene.   Then we get the arrival at the batcave. Flash is still annoyingly enthusiastic, but nowhere near as annoying as in the theatrical version. This version plays out Much much better. I love Alfred's reaction to seeing Cyborg.   I love his reaction to seeing all of them.  “Well, I'll put on the tea,” he says. What a great reaction.   They find where Steppenwolf is hiding. Nobody will go there. It's the site of a disaster. But he's absorbed all the radiation to power the boxes.   Victor has a plan. He wants to plug into the unity. Hack into it and break it apart back into 3. Dianna cautions him. “The boxes are world destroyers, Billions of years old. You'll have to stream into the unit. It'll find your weakness and destroy you.” “I've got nothing left.” That's a hard truth, but it motivates him. “You want me to use these gifts right?” Barry says we do it, but we gotta get in somehow.   And he says that line we all know from the trailer. “He would have fought superbeings on the other worlds he's conquered, and we have to assume he's won” And Batman says, “He's never fought us. Not us united.” It's an awesome exchange.   I love how this movie gives all the characters a reason to be in it. An important part in the plan. Especially Victor and Flash, who had no real reason to exist in the theatrical cut at all.   Clark notices the engagement ring on Lois's finger. “I'll take that as a yes,” he says. He's fully back now. Standing in the early morning sun in the corn field. So I guess they're engaged. Woohoo. I love how she put on the ring after he died, accepting his proposal in her heart, even though he was gone.   “I've got a second chance Lo. I'm not gonna waste it.” Clark's hope is restored. He nearly lost it in Batman V Superman, with all that Lex put him through. But now we pay that off. That's how story arcs work.   A ute pulls up. It's Martha. The real Martha arrives. Imagine this moment. Your son, who was dead, is alive again. Imagine seeing him for the first time. I can't help but get Mary and Jesus vibes from this. The Bible doesn't exactly show the moment of their reunion, but we know it would have happened, as she's among the disciples at the beginning of the books of Acts. Just imagine the emotion of that moment. It would be too good to be true. And yet it is. I can't even imagine that feeling.   Clark says “they wanted me back for a reason. I Have to find out why.” He wants to stay here with his loved ones, but has to help.   Dianna and Bruce have a fascinating exchange. He admits he had a dream - a vision of the future. It was the end of the world. Barry Allen was right here. He said “Lois Lane is the key.” “She is,” Dianna says. “To superman. Every heart has one.” Dianna, here, is explaining the Joss Whedon interpretation of that prophecy. Lois was the key to getting Superman to become himself again after reviving. But Bruce doesn't buy it. “No. I think it's something more. Something darker.” This line almost feels like a poke at joss version. I wonder if this was one of the re-shot scenes. It proves that Zack had more in mind for that whole thing than what we saw  in the theatrical cut.   Victor has the troop carrier plane working. Just like he said he could. Alfred had said earlier that there was no chance in hell they could get it flying.  Which just shows Victor's incredible power over technology.   It's a cool looking thing. They get in. They have a good reason to go to Stepppenwolf's lair in this version.   Bruce says to Alfred, “He'll be here, I know it.” Obviously talking about Superman.   “What makes you think so?” Alfred asks. “Faith, Alfred.” I love the continuing focus on faith in Bruce's arc here. In this case, I think Bruce has some reason to have faith in Superman, because he knows Superman's character. He's seen it.   We see Steppenwolf combining the boxes into the unity. It's time to prepare for his arrival. He says “My redemption is nigh.”   The boxes are fusing together. The unity is coming. There's not much time. And then, it's done. The unity has been formed. The amazons see it. All over the world it's seen and heard I'm not sure of the logistics of that, but it's cool.   So here's the plan First, Batman needs to take out the tower. Then, the defensive dome will fall. With the dome down, they can get to unity. Barry will make a power surge from running fast. He'll make physical contact with Victor. That should propel him into the unity. Again, I'm not sure how they came up with all this.   Clark is back in the scout ship. Searching for answers. We hear clips of his father's voice. Jor-el. He talks of hope. Goodness. Kal-el was sent here for a reason. And Jonathan too. Motivating words from both his fathers. When you hear all these soundbites together, you realise just how positive and inspirational Man of Steel actually was. A lot of people just don't see that. Various suits emerge for him to choose from. In a sense, this is the moment Clark fully and truly becomes Superman. All this time, he's been trying to find himself, to understand who and what he is. He's been trying to live up to the expectations of two fathers, and those of the world. But he's been through the fire. Now he truly understands how to be a symbol of hope. And he emerges in the black suit.  I Love it. It was important to see Superman in the black suit after he rose from the dead. It's an important link to what is arguably the most iconic story from all of DC comics.   But why did he choose this suit? In the comic, the black suit had a practical purpose. Not so much here. It's a nice callback to the comics, but would have been nice to give a  reason.   And now, we hear Jor-El and Jonathan saying new things. These are not clips from previous movies. This is new dialog. And it fruits beautifully with Superman's new sense of hope. We get a full on rendition of the Superman theme from Man of Steel. It's such an awesome scene. A very emotional pay-off to the last two movies. I Love it as a big Man of Steel fan.   The Justice League prepares for battle as hard rock music plays. Thankfully, there are no stupid gags about Arthur sitting on the lasoo this time around.   There's a great shot of them walking out of the plane.   Bruce drops the others  off to do their bit. He's gonna take down the tower with the plane's weapons.   He manages to blast his way through the forcefield. Once in, he takes out the tower with missiles. The forcefield dome is down. Steppenwolf sends the parademons to defend the unity.   Bruce, Dianna and Arthur are here to get Barry and victor to the unity.  Bruce takes the batmobile out of the plane. Armed with machine guns. I Love it. That's the batman we need in this story.   The Parademons are shooting lasters. The theatrical version added a red sky for some reason. Doesn't make sense now the dome is down.   Bruce can't win this fight alone against the parademons. He needs the rest of the league to help him.   This cut of the film still has the silly scene with Arthur standing on the Batmobile and then flying into the air. I really wasn't expecting to see this sequence in the Snyder Cut. It plays a bit better because the music makes it feel more serious. But it still comes across as silly to me. I still don't like his cry of joy. He's having too much fun for the situation he's in. And him sky surfing the body of a parademon is also silly.  Arthur can't fly. He's way too comfortable up in the sky.   But, it still plays better than in the theatrical cut. I find myself more forgiving of it because of the rest of the awesomeness and overall tone   We cut back to Alfred. Superman arrives in the black suit. “I'm assuming you're Alfred.” “Master Kent. He said you'd come. Now let's hope you're not too late.” Afred can fill him in on the details. Where he needs to be and what he needs to do.   The league have gotten through the parademons. Now they're in the chamber with Steppenwolf.   I'm not sure what the shockwave thing is that happens when Arthur plunges his trident into the ground. There's a lot of random magic associated with melee weapons in this movie. It's all very loosey-goosey. I don't mind magic, in fact, I like magic, but I prefer a hard magic system. Something that has understandable rules, cause and effect.   Steppenwolf tries to play mind games with Dianna. And I like this. His power isn't just all brute strength. He uses his mind to attack Dianna psychologically. Probably because he knows she's the one among them that can come close to threatening him physically. “You betrayed your sisters. You weren't there to protect them from me and sadly you could have.” That's gotta hurt. Because it's true. Dianna is the most powerful of her people. She's the god killer, and Steppenwolf sees himself as a god. He's like the old gods, Zeus and Ares. Dianna was created to defeat beings like him. But she was off in Paris.   Victor is in position and Barry is building up speed to “push” victor into the unity. Not sure it makes sense but it's cool. These guys are central to the plan in this version. In the previous version, they both might as well have not been there.   But Barry is too late. Before he's built enough speed, Steppenwolf gets to Victor and pulls him away. They're all fighting him, but clearly struggling against him.   Steppenwolf is still playing mind games. “I watched your island burn. I heard them begging for their lives.” Now he's adding lies to the truth to make it seem worse.   Bruce is still outside taking care of the parademons.  Barry is up to speed but has to wait for Victor to be in position. He can't keep it up much longer. Finally, he's in position, But Steppenwolf arrives again.   “For Darkseid,” he says. He's about to kill Victor with his axe. That's when Superman arrives and stands in the way. “Not impressed.” And man. Superman is awesome in this, like we've never seen him before. He's no joke. We've established how powerful and scary Steppenwolf is.  Now, we show that Superman can stand up to him. Now Steppenwolf is on the defensive. The axe shatters.   Honestly, I would have been more impressed by the destruction of the axe if I had been impressed by the axe in the first place.   Steppenwolf is no match for superman. Superman cuts his horn off. I liked that. Victor is finally ready, But that's when the parademon shoots Barry with the laser. Now he's lost all that speed he built up. This is great. It reminds me of the climax of a Back To The Future movie, where everything keeps going wrong, and keeps you on the edge of your sea. And Barry is injured. He says he got the wind knocked out of him. But honestly, he needs more than the few seconds he asks for. Barry's side is on fire.   And then the unity forms. Ah crap   A Wormhole opens to Apocolips. Darkseid watches on. The unity is fully formed. It's too late.   The unity sends out a wave to destroy the Earth and transform it into the apocalyptic future we've seen. That vision is coming true.   Barry's side heals. He heals quickly because of this super fast metabolism. Or something like that. He hasn't given up. This isn't the first time Barry has failed because he was too late. But that's not gonna stop him. He just has to go faster than the speed of light.   It IS too late, but Barry is a speedster. He can travel through time. This is the moment when Barry fulfils his arc. He speaks to his dad.  He becomes what his dad always wanted him to be. One of the best of the best. It's not a huge arc, but it's a heck of a lot more than what we got in the previous version.   The whole thing of him running in space is very poetic. I'm not sure how to interpret it, but he's running ahead of the terraforming wave. The world is being destroyed around him, but he keeps running on. And so Barry finally gets to be the hero, not just a stupid joke. Now he's turning back time. We see Superman, Victor, all their bodies re-form. Very much like Superman turning back time in the 1978 movie, but makes a little more sense here. At least he's not just reversing the direction of the Earth's rotation.   Victor is now in the unity. But it's messing with him. It shows him his family. He sees himself without the cyborg parts. This is what he wanted. To be whole, with living parents. The unity is trying to tempt him. There's a clear alien intelligence behind and within this unknowable thing.   But Victor fulfills his character arc, when he says “I'm not broken. And I'm not alone.”   This is an interesting statement, because in a way, he is broken. His body has been broken, and there are things that he has lost, that he'll never get back again. But his new situation also gives him other new experiences he never could have had as a pure human.   At the start of the movie, Victor saw his cyborg body as a curse. Dianna tried to convince him to see it as a blessing. In reality, it's kind of both, but far better to focus on the blessing.   Victor has found the strength of character to reject what the unity is offering.   He pulls apart the boxes. He sees them as living beings. Maybe they are. It's all very alien and spooky. I love it. It seems this act requires not only mental strength, which he has, but physical strength as well. Superman helps him break apart the boxes. The unity is unmade.   But the wormhole is still there.   Darkseid watches as Arthur stabs step and sends him through hole.  And at the last moment, Dianna gets her revenge by chopping off his head. He kinda deserved that We see how little Darkseid cares about his uncle, As he crushes his skull under foot.   Desaad says “I told you Steppenwolf would fail. Now that the mother boxes have been destroyed. How will you retrieve your great prize?”   Darkseid says “Anti-life is found and we will stop at nothing to get it. Ready the Armada. we  will use the old ways.” So….darkseid is bringing an invasion fleet to earth. This sets up the promise of even bigger things in the Justice League Sequels that would have been. It's fantastic.   There's a character seen in the background here called “Granny Goodness”. This is another one that die-hard comic book fans were very excited to see. I know nothing about her, but after a quick google, it sounds like she's a potentially interesting character - despite her absurdly ridiculous name.   So...it's over. The league have saved the world. And we see them all together, superman included, in an awesome heroic pose.   The music swells. It's very cool. Very heroic. Very hopeful.   I wasn't actually expecting this. I was half expecting that the league would fail. That Steppenwolf would succeed. That Darkseid would come to Earth and corrupt Superman, and that this movie would end with the creation of the knightmare future, ending on a massive cliffhanger.   Given the unlikelihood that we'll get any sequels to this movie, I'm kinda glad it didn't go that way, because at least we get something of a satisfying conclusion, but also with the promise that there was more epic story to come. And that brings us to...   Epilogue A father Twice Over.   This movie has a very extended epilogue. Some of it, we've seen in the theatrical version. Some of it, we've seen in a very different form, and some is brand new. In fact, I believe most of the new scenes that Zack shot for this cut take place in this epilogue. I like a good epilogue that gives us some closure for the characters.   So Victor reforms the tape recorder. That's a neat trick. He listens to the words his father wanted to share. “Speaking as a father….” he says. This is the bit where Victor tunes out last time. “I brought you into the world and back into it. You can't imagine how proud I am. Have always been. I wasted years, so many wrongs I've left un-righted.” It's nice to see this closure for Victor's relationship with his Dad. I see them as fully reconciled at this point. It's just a shame Silas didn't live to fully see things repaired with his son.   Then there's a great scene with Arthur. Victor's experience with his dad has inspired Arthur to go see his own father. It's been a long time. This leads very nicely into the beginning of the Aquaman movie.   He's still drinking, showing he's still not entirely sure who he is yet, but he's on a journey to figure it out.   Bruce decides to put a big round table in Wayne Manor. With room for more, hinting at a growing Justice League.   Barry shows his dad he's pursuing his real dreams. He's got a job in a crime lab. I love his dad's proud laughter. This time, the scene really hits me in the heart, because we had build up toward it.   Bruce says congratulations to Clark. Implying the pregnancy. So I think we can officially say it's canon.   Victor takes his place as cyborg, but doesn't change his suit into the cartoon version. He stays with the more alien looking version for the movie. Honestly, that other suit was not necessary. I kinda felt the same way when Arthur finally put on the more traditional suit in the Aquaman movie. Not necessary.   We see Bruce standing on an epic looking machine. And Dianna holds the arrow. Is she going back to see her people? I suspect so.   And then we see Clark Kent is back. With no explanation. I don't like this. The big difficulty with Superman's death and resurrection is bringing back Clark. How oddly convenient that Clark Kent is unexpectedly alive after all, just after Superman returns from the dead. The thing is, the comic book explains this quite nicely. And it would have been so easy to do the same thing here. In the comics, Supergirl was not actually a Krpytonian, but a shapeshifter. She took on the appearance of Superman and “discovered” Clark buried in the rubble from the battle with Doomsday. News cameras watched as Superman flew Kent to hospital. We don't have Supergirl in this movie universe yet, but we have Martian Manhunter, who could have actually used his shapeshifting powers for something useful to the story here. It seems such a missed opportunity that they didn't do this. Anyway, Clark pulls his shirt open, in a very Christopher Reeve kind way, revealing the Black suit. So...we have confirmation he's still wearing the black suit.   Lex Luthor escapes from arkham. We've seen this before, in an after-credit scene of the theatrical cut, although this might be slightly extended. The cackling laughter of the stand in tricking the guards is fitting.  During this, we hear the Luther music from BVS This plays much more dramatic and dangerous.   Now we get deathstroke's arrival at lex's boat. But this is surprisingly, a completely different scene. The conversation is completely different, which fascinates me. This isn't about the formation of a legion of doom.  Deathstroke has offered to kill Batman for free. It's personal. Something to do with his missing eye. Lex has a lot to live for, and important things to do, But he wants Batman taken out. And Lex gives Deathstroke Bruce's name. Deathstroke is very happy to hear that. This would have led into the Batman movie that Ben affleck originally planned to star in, and direct. I'm so sad we never got that. Seeing this scene now, It would have been a significant part of  the Synder-driven DC extended universe.   Then we get the really new stuff. It's another vision of the nightmare future. Spaceships hover over the desolated landscape. Bruce has the trench coat and goggles like in BVS. Victor is with him. So is Mera and Deathstroke Mera is not happy. She wants violent revenge against someone for what he did to Arthur. So Arthur is dead.  There is a plan and Bruce wants to stick with it, not give in to revenge. The Flash is here too, looking very much like his dishevelled appearance in Batman V Superman. Mera asks Batman, who have you ever loved?   That's when we hear the laugh. And we know immediately who that is! The Joker!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO So, I guess Batman's arch nemesis is the latest member of this rag-tag Justice League.  Let me just say that I have always liked Jared Leto's Joker. He is extremely underrated. I liked the direction David Ayer took him in Suicide Squad. We'd just come off the Dark Knight Trilogy, which featured the unforgettable performance of Heath Ledger. The way I see it, Ledger and Nolan created the ultimate portrayal of a more traditional-looking Joker. If Ayer had gone a similar route, it would have come across as a cheap copy. Instead, Ayer drastically re-imagined the character, completed with tattoos and dodgy-looking fillings in his teeth. It was new and refreshing. It was different. And I think Leto imbued the character with the spirit of The Joker.   And what Leto and Synder do here only builds on what was done in Suicide Squad and make it even better. His performance here is nothing short of staggering. It's chilling and creepy. Everything that I want from the Joker.   So the Joker informs Mera that Batman knows what it's like to lose someone he loves. Like a father and mother. Bruce warns him to be careful. “How many can die in your arms, how many dead eyes can you look into before you die inside yourself?” He says “You won't kill me, I'm your best friend.” Which is a very interesting statement, and I think it encapsulates how the Joker views their relationship. The Joker is here to help what's left of the league. “You need me to help you undo this world you created by letting her die. Poor Lois. How many timelines do you destroy the world because you don't have the cojones to die yourself?”   So this explains a lot. Lois Lane is dead. And Bruce allowed her to die, or in some way, failed to save her. This explains Superman's rage against Bruce in the knightmare vision from BVS. It explains why Superman says to Bruce “She was my world,” before killing him.   The Joker gives Bruce a truce. As long as he has the card, they're allies. He talks about how Batman sent  a boy wonder to do a man's job. Reminding how he killed robin, which we already knew about from BVS.   But Batman has a comeback. “When I held Harley Quinn dying, she begged me with her last breath, that when I kill you, I'll make it slow.” He's going to honour that promise.   That nearly undoes the joker. He still had feelings (twisted as they were) for Harley. “You're good,” he says. Bruce almost had him. Almost manipulated him like he manipulates Bruce.   One of  them, I think it was Deathstroke, asks “Still think it was a good idea bringing him along?”   I Wonder what they need him for. It's very telling that things are so separate they'd work with the Joker.   And then the villain arrives. The one they've been waiting for. The one Mera wants so desperately to kill for what he did to Arthur. Their enemy that they want revenge against is none other than Superman. Superman with red eyes.   This whole concept has been generating controversy for years. I mean, we saw evil Superman back in BVS.   Some find it impossible to accept that Superman would turn to the Dark Side, so to speak, just because of the pain from the death of Lois Lane. Because he is a beacon of all that is good. He's too good to become evil, even with that grief. But these people are missing half the story. It's not just the death of Lois. Remember that anti-life equation? Long before this movie even came out, Zack Snyder confirmed that Superman was going to succumb to the anti-life equation. This thing allows Darkseid to bend the will of others.   It's actually very telling of Superman's extreme goodness that he was able to resist the anti-life equation. No, it took the death of his beloved wife, Lois, to weaken him so, that he would succumb to the anti-life equation - something that probably anyone else would have succumbed to straight away.   So far from portraying Superman as morally weak, I think this whole thing paints him as incredibly strong, morally. But not infinitely perfect. Because he's still a person. This is the Superman for me.   Now Bruce wakes up. This was his vision. What caused it? We don't know. I had always assumed that the vision in BVS was caused by The Flash trying to send a message back through time to him. But there seems to be no outside influence at work here.   But this explains the “something darker” that Bruce was talking about. Now we understand a lot more. Now we know exactly why Lois Lane was the key.   Martian Manhunter arrives to talk. Bruce sees this green-skinned alien hovering in the air, and just says “Can I help you?” I love that response. He's seen so much now that nothing much surprises him.   Martian MAnhunter explains that Darkseid is not finished. “Anti life is here somewhere. We Have to find it before he does. War is coming.” There's actually a lot we still don't know about anti-life. We only know that it's on earth, and that Steppenwolf somehow discovered it. “I'm here to help,” Martian Manhunter says. He's finally realised he has a stake in this world and it's time he started fighting for it.” Why did it take him so long? I have no idea. He was helping in his own way, as a member of the US military, but not fully using his gifts. Maybe he was afraid to reveal himself, and had to be inspired by Superman's example.   Of course, this was supposed to be John Stewart Green Lantern, but Warner Bros wouldn't let Zack use the character, because they thought it would conflict, somehow, with the TV show that Geoff Johns wanted to make. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but whatever.   Anyway, he acknowledges that the heroes wouldn't have come together without Bruce.  His parents would have been proud.   The movie ends as Martian Manhunter says he'll be in touch, and flies away. And then we get those special words appear on screen. FOR AUTUMN   This movie was dedicated to the beloved daughter that Zack lost while he was making it.   And as the credits roll, we hear the song Hallelujah, sung by a female vocalist.   This was Autumn's favourite song, and this arrangement, I believe, was performed at her funeral.   The performance of this song is heart-wrenching. Especially given the connection it has to Autumn. I sat through the whole song and it moved me powerfully. There's one moment when all the music stops, and it's just the singer. And she's singing with such emotion, well I don't have any words for it.   But I thought this was a beautiful way to end the film.  In a way, Zack Snyder films are all about showing us how in real life, joy and pain go hand in hand. He understands that because he's lived it. And despite it all, he still comes across as a pretty positive guy.   So that was Zack Snyder's Justice League. I loved this movie, and found it a fitting book-end for Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. I'm fully in support of the Restore The Snyderverse movement, although it seems Warner Bros has absolutely no interest.   There has been talk of continuing the Snyderverse in comic book form. I'd certainly pay for that.   I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this movie. There sure were a lot of them.   Next time, we return to Stargate Universe, where we'll begin the second and final season of the show.   I look forward to seeing you then.   Live long and Prosper. Make it so.

Today, we're doing a Snyder Cut Review. Zack Snyder's Justice League was the movie we never thought we would get. It was a massive blessing to get to see the movie as it was originally intended, and boy was it a great experience. Zack Snyder brings his unique visual style and sense of story-telling, combined with Chris Terrio's awesome script. In this podcast, we delve deep and see what gems we can mine out of this amazing movie.

The final episode of Stargate Universe Season 1 is here. In this episode, the crew fight against an invading force who are trying to take control of the ship. How will it all end?    

In the second-last episode of Stargate Universe season 1, The Lucian Alliance invade Destiny. But it's going to mean some hard decisions. Is he up for the task? Let's dig in to the episode and find out. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of the Stars And I am a nerd   This is episode 68 of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the episode Incursion Part 1.   The description on gateworld reads   The Lucian Alliance manages to board Destiny, taking several crew members hostage in a bid to wrestle control of the ship.   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie It was directed by Andy Mikita And it first aired on the 4th of July 2010.    We begin with the battle of the orders. Camille orders Brody to let the atmosphere back in. Otherwise he's participating in the death of both Telford and Rush. Young tells him to disregard what Camille says, which he does.   When Telford starts gasping, Scott says “You've made your point.” Young says he's not trying to make a point. The air is evacuated. Telford gasps until he can't gasp any more. Camille is horrified. Young has just killed him. Scott is pretty horrified as well. Greer just watches on stony-faced, clearly hiding a lot of emotions.   After a moment that must feel like an eternity, Young orders Brody to open the door. Young runs in and performs CPR, clearly hoping desperately to revive Telford. When he does fortunately wake up, he gasps out “They're coming.”   So what are we to take from all of this?   It seems that Young was hoping that a near-death experience would flush out the Goa'uld brainwashing and restore Telford to his right mind. That's what appears to have happened. But he could have shared that with the group. He *should* have shared that with the group.   In a military hierarchy, there are times when soldiers have to be expected to follow difficult orders, even when they don't understand them. That's part of military life. But I doubt that kind of thing extended to this apparent willful murder of Telford. Even if he just said “I have a plan here. Trust me.” He's lucky Scott didn't mutiny over what he would have reasonably assumed to be an illegal order.   But I'm no expert on the military, so maybe there are things at play here I don't understand. But Brody and Camille are not military. And like it or not, they're involved. Brody is the one being asked to push the button. Camille is right when she says that Young is making him an accessory to murder. And sometimes, civilians need a little more context.Brody is not sworn to obey orders from an officer.   Young is really lucky that Brody didn't cave and open the door. He's really lucky that Eli didn't intervene. I know it adds some dramatic tension, but I really feel that Young should have explained himself, at least a little.  Because what we get here is basically cheap tension. The characters holding back from putting a stop to this for no other reason than because the script says they don't.   The mind control technology we're probably talking about here is Nish'ta, a biological compound used to influence and control people. The hold of Nish'ta on a person can be broken with a severe electric shock, like a blast from a Zatnikatel. That shock kills the Nish'ta organism. It's reasonable to assume that starving a body of oxygen and putting it into clinical death might be enough to similarly kill the Nish'ta, and both Scott and Greer would know about all of this. It's probably one of the reasons they took no action. They'd figured out what Young was trying to do. So why didn't Scott reassure Camilla and Brody?   And why didn't they try the traditional electric shock, which is a proven cure? There must be some ways on this ship to generate an electrical charge. The danger to the body can't be any more than starving it of oxygen until it's technically dead. Young says his method has been done before, and I assume by this, he's referring to the time Teal'c was brainwashed by Apophis, and Bra'tac had to remove his symbiote to put him near death.   Scott actually confronts Young about this. “If I'd known what you were doing, and why, I would have backed you up fully”. Young's response, “So you'll only obey orders when you understande them?” And Young has a good point here. In a military structure, you have to have obedience. Sometimes the CO can't explain everything but they still need to have their orders followed. But, as I've said, I feel this is a unique situation. Military officers are also expected to question immoral orders, and Young gave Scott every reason to question his orders in this case. Young says he kept Scott in the dark so as to keep Scott out of it. And that's not a bad reason, but it wouldn't have worked if Scott chose to mutiny over it.   But again, I think it all comes down to the fact that the writers wanted something more dramatic. And it was dramatic.    Anyway, they now know. The Lucian Alliance are on their way. They're going to try to dial in to Destiny from their Icarus-like planet. Telford has the coordinates which Young passes on to Jack.   And I was right. Sam does appear in this episode. Jack is sending the USS Hammond to the Icarus planet to try to stop the Lucian Alliance. Best case scenario, she stops them, but they can still dial the gate, which means they can pass on supplies to the crew. (It doesn't mean the crew can evacuate back to the milky way, because remember gate travel is one-way for matter.   The gate room is locked down, along with the corridors nearby. That makes good sense.   Interestingly, Young and Teflord have an opportunity to start fresh, maybe ever rebuild some of their former friendship. Poor Telford is carrying a lot of guilt over the things he did when under Lucian Alliance control. Telford wants to go back to his own body so he can spy on the Lucian Alliance again. Young wants him to rest a while. He just came back from the dead. Or is his real reason that he doesn't yet trust Telford completely?   All civilians have been ordered to stay in their quarters, but Young wants TJ to do the same, remain safe for the sake of the child she is carrying. That makes sense to me. I don't think any real world military would put a pregnant woman on the front lines of combat. It's essentially endangering a civilian, right? The baby didn't sign up for duty. Plus, TJ is their only medic and her skills will be needed once it's all over.   If the alliance breach the ship, Young plans to evacuate the oxygen in the gate room, killing them all.   TJ has a real problem with this. I wonder if she's being a little harsh. These people are an invading force and Young's job is to protect his people. Is there a moral difference whether the invaders die by bullets or by suffocation? The one difference I see is that being shot would likely be a more merciful death. Gasping for air sounds like a horrible way to go. I wouldn't want to die that way. But again, these people are invaders.    There's a confusing moment on the Icarus-style planet. At first, I thought Rush was pretending to be Telford back in his own body, and I thought he had convinced Kiva. But then he says “Back to work.” as though he's still trying to help them dial the gate, so I'm not sure what that was about.   And that's when the Hammond drops out of FTL in orbit of the planet.   Sam has confirmed that the planet has large naquadrian deposits, so looks like Kiva's plan is solid. I love it when she mentions a pyramid, and Jack says “A pyramid, that takes me back.” It sure does Jack. It takes all of us back too.   The complex is shielded so they can't beam Rush up. The have to launch 302s to attack instead.   Kiva now has the same escape plan that Rush had back in the pilot. Dial the 9th Chevron to get off this planet before they're blown up.   Eli is watching the air force briefing videos, learning about the Lucian Alliance. Remember, the videos hosted by Daniel. So there it is. For the first time since Air, we have 3 quarters of SG1 appearing in an episode of Universe. I wonder, if the show had continued beyond it's two seasons, would we have ever seen Teal'c make an appearance? It would have been harder to work him naturally into the story, but who knows. We'll actually see a couple of faces from Atlantis next season. I'm looking forward to that one.   There's only one problem with Young's plan. When he vents the air, it'll kill Rush along with the invaders. He could save Rush by severing the stone connection, but that would kill Telford. So now he has a choice, which man does he save? But Young doesn't know for sure that Rush is coming through the gate, so he is blessedly more ignorant than we are.   The connection has been established. They've dialed Destiny. Alliance soldiers start going through the gate. A lot of them will be inured. Remember, when you travel that distance through a wormhole, you get thrown our the other side pretty hard.   But now Young has seen Telford's body on the gateroom camera. He knows Rush is on board in there.   So what does he do? This story is full of hard moral choices.   The connection is severed. Did Young do it on purpose, or did it just happen somehow? I assume it was deliberate.   It's more valuable having Telford, a trained soldier, in there as a covert man on our side. Assuming he is on our side.   Speaking of hard choices, Sam has to leave a couple of 302s behind when she jumps out of the system. IF she waited for them to dock everyone on board would have died.   Eli and Chloe are supposed to be in their quarters. Eli makes he point that the lab IS his quarters. I guess that's as safe as any other room, and there might be things he could do to help here.   Now that he knows Kiva brought Rush along, Young isn't going to vent the atmosphere. He's going to do it the hard way. So he won't be sacrificing Telford.   Kiva is blaming Telford/Rush for shutting down the gate, and killing all those who didn't make it through. Telford claims it was Rush, just before they switched back. But wasn't the wormhole cut off by the destruction of the pyramid, and the gate inside it?   Telford is able to convince Kiva who he is by demonstrating knowledge Rush wouldn't have. She accepts it.   When Eli is able to tell Young that Kiva has some device to open the doors, he orders the air vented, but it's too late. The doors are open. I wonder where they got that tech, and how they knew it would work on Destiny's doors?   Rush chooses this moment to be a hero. The ship is under attack. Technically he should be in his quarters with the other civilians. He's not a fighter.   Eli is convinced that it's time to leave the lab and go to quarters. The fighting is getting close to the lab. They portray this just as terrifying as it would be, for a civilian suddenly  about to be caught in a warzone. I sure felt it.   TJ chases Rush and ends up getting captured by the Lucian Alliance. Well, crap.   And Chloe has been shot. She and Eli are safe in an elevator, but it's not good for her. And despite what most movies imply, getting shot in the leg can be just as fatal as any other place in the body. It's not going to be instant death, but if she doesn't get medical help soon, it could be bad.   Same and Jack have a moment. Jack can't tell her if any of the invaders made it to Destiny. He hasn't heard, and given what we know, it'll be awhile before anybody has time to check in with the stones. There's this sense of resignation from the two of them. There's nothing more either of them can do. It's up to the people on Destiny now.   Rush confirms that the stone connection was closed the minute he travelled through the gate.   Kiva has some hostages now. This has all gone about as bad as it could have.   Eli and Chloe are stuck in a random part of the ship nobody has explored yet. The lifts have been shut down so they can't get back to more familiar surroundings. Not without walking back the long way, if they can figure out which direction to go.   Kiva gives Young two choices. They can turn over the ship to her, but remain on board the ship under Lucian Alliance control. Or Kiva will drop them all off on a habitable world. Kiva wants to be here to realise the potential of this ship.   Kiva wants to prove her seriousness by killing a hostage, and she chooses TJ. Bad choice. Young will never forgive her if she kills TJ.   Telford tries to talk Kiva out of it, saying it'll only force Young's hand. He's playing along and so far, Kiva thinks he's still with her.   He's still trying to convince Kiva that TJ shouldn't be one of those to be killed. He says she's a medic, he doesn't tell her she's carrying Young's baby.   Young and Camille have both agreed the time for diplomacy has arrived, and she should be the one to try to negotiate.   She proposes a prisoner exchange. Kiva doesn't want to give up her advantage, but Young only has 4 while they have 12.    It's time for Rush to play the ultimate pragmatist. They should save those they can, sure, such as the 4, but one they reach the limit of acceptable losses, they should just sacrifice who they have to in order to rid the ship of its invaders. He claims Young has already decided what that number is. It's near impossible they can win this with no loss of life on their side.   Young is offended by this. He's going to save everyone and re-take this ship. I agree with Young's sentiment, but can he do it? Or is Rush right? From a practical point of view, he might be.   In any case, emotions are running pretty high around here. Rush says he was recently an acceptable loss himself because they didn't pull him out by disconnecting the stones.   Young has recognised their advantage. Telford. Kiva has accepted Telford as one of them. Sooner or later, he'll make his move.   Again, assuming he IS a good guy now.   There's a nice shot from outside the ship as Eli and Chloe approach a window. There's no active life support in this part of the ship. They have air for now, but no new stuff is getting pumped in. So they've gotta get out of here as soon as they can.   Young has finally used the stone to report in to Jack. Jack is not happy that this isn't resolved already. Young should have vented the gateroom earlier. He basically agrees with Rush, although in a less extreme kinda way. Sam lost those 302 pilots. IT was the right call. Sometimes a commander has to sacrifice his own people to save others. Young didn't want to sacrifice Rush and Telford, so now the situation continues.   In defense of Young, Rush has unique skills nad knowledge. His loss would be devastating to the crew of Destiny.   Now this is the first time Jack has really started to question Young's competence and ability. Young has been questioning his own competence since the beginning, and JAck always back him up. But now, he gives him a stern talking to. “Are you up for this Everett? Because if you're not, somebody will replace you.”   I appreciate Jack for his competence, but I also appreciate Young as a flawed and well-intentioned character.   And Rush has noticed something weird. The ship dropped out of FTL because somebody was gating in, but there's no countdown and Destiny hasn't gone back into FTL. It should have. It did when the original Icarus crew gated in back in episode 1.   There are still a lot of depreassarised compartments out in the part of the ship where Eli and Chloe are. It's pretty dangerous.   When one of the Lucian Alliance uys tries to break through a door, something weird dissolves his entire body.   My first though is the swam of little micro aliens from early in the season,but didn't they all leave the ship to the water planet?   Nobody knows what caused this.   At least Telford gets the chance to have a quick debrief with Young. Kiva sssumes whatever this was is Young's doing. But he's as much in the dark as she is. She's not likely to believe him. When Kiva gives the radio to TJ, Young wisely addresses her as Lieutenant, not TJ. He doesn't betray the personal connection between them, which Kiva can exploit.   Chloe is starting to give up but Eli will have none of it. He's going to take care of her.   Young has come to the conclusion that Rush and Jack are right. They have to end this, and they have to end it now. Even if some of their people die in the process.   And with that decision, the episode ends. Speaking in terms of story structure, this decision is a good place for the cliffhanger. A decision like this leads into a goal for the next scene to come. That will give the next episode a strong beginning.   So there you have it. One more to go. The Stargate franchise had gotten pretty good at building up to big season finale moments, taking multiple episodes to reach that point.   So next time we'll be talking about the season finale, Incursion Part 2. We're on a wild ride right now, and it's only going to get wilder.   Can you believe we've only gone one more episode to go for season 1? It's going to be a big one.   Don't forget to give the podcast a review, if you haven't. And feel free to check out some of my own science fiction. You can find it all at AdamDavidCollings.com/books   Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.

Today's episode of Stargate Universe is the beginning of the final three of season 1. Through a residual memory, Rush discovers that Telford sold out Icarus Base to the Lucian Alliance, who have a plan to open a wormhole to Destiny and take over the ship. It gets very heavy and exciting from here. (Special guest appearances from Michael Shanks and Richard Dean Anderson) ----more---- Transcript   Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd   This is the 67th episode of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Subversion”   By the time this episode goes live, Jewel if the Stars book 3 is probably close to being out, which is really exciting. I'm proud of this story, and it's been a long time coming. Check out books2read.com/jewel3 and that's the number 2. That link should be live by now, even if it's just a pre-order.   The description on GateWorld reads Dr. Rush and Homeworld Command investigate when Colonel Telford is suspected of spying for the Lucian Alliance.   This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie It was directed by Alex Chapple And it first aired on the 21st of May 2010.   So welcome to the Stargate SG-1 podcast. In this episode, SG-1 works with the crew of Destiny to infiltrate the Lucian Alliance who have a Goa'uld cargo ship.   In my memory, Sam was in this episode. I thought we had 3 out of the 4 original members of SG-1, which would have made that joke funnier. I mean, Sam was in the recap, but she doesn't appear in the actual episode. We get Jack and Daniel, but no Sam. Maybe she's in the next two episodes. I don't remember.   The recap at the beginning of this episode takes us right back to the pilot, where the Lucian Alliance attacked Icarus Base. We also see a lot of Telford in the flashbacks. We haven't seen Telford in quite a while.   Rush is having unsettling dreams. Flashes of something happening on earth. I really like how the first person he goes to, after waking up, despite all the trouble between them in the past, is Young. Clearly he thinks there's more to this dream than just .. a normal dream. But I love Young's line. “Everyone thinks their dreams are interesting.” He's going to take some convincing.   In this dream, Rush is at a warehouse, meeting somebody, giving classified details about Icarus base to somebody with a Goa'uld cargo ship. That suggests Lucian Alliance. On Earth.   But when he sees his reflection in a car window, he's Colonel Telford. If true, this suggests that Colonel Telford is a traitor - the one that sold out Icarus Base to the Lucian Alliance.   But is this just a dream or something more? We know that people can have residual thoughts and flashes from sharing their bodies with another person through the communication stones, and the crew of Destiny have been using the stones more than anybody in SG-1 or Atlantis ever did. So this could be real. But how do you prove that?   Scott is the only other person who has ever experienced the bleed-through phenomenon. Young tells him about Rush's dream. Scot is concerned that Young is allowing his personal issues with Telford to colour how he reacts to all this. Young points out that before he was stationed at Icarus, Telford spent time undercover infiltrating the Lucian Alliance. There was an incident where Telford knew of an imminent attack but didn't tell the SGC, presumably to protect his cover. The SGC cleared him of this. But it makes you wonder. Young also points out that the Goa'uld had mind-control technology, and that might now be in the hands of the alliance. And Scott makes a very good point. “If you start thinking that way then we can't trust anyone.”   Rather than telling General O'Neill about this, Rush's idea is to take Telford's body next time he's scheduled to use the stones and try to make contact with the Alliance. That's risky. Young says if Stargate Command is this heavily compromised, he can't tell anyone. I mean, what if O'Neill is being controlled. Now that's scary.   Rush doesn't have the training for this kind of work, but he is the one who had the dream. A dream he's still putting together in his mind. The knowledge from that dream could be critical.   There's a wonderfully amusing scene between Young and Camille where she questions him about bumping Doctor MOrris off the stone schedule. He keeps just saying “Yes” to her questions. Then she asks “Care to explain why?” and he switches to “No.” See, this is the type of humour I like. Humour that plays into the seriousness of the story, not against it. With all the trouble since the civilian coup, I can understand why this bothers Camille, but knowing what Young knows, he's absolutely right for keeping these cards close to his chest, keeping things even from Camille and Eli, who is feeling kinda put out by being excluded. Every character has their perspective here, and every one has valid reasons for what they're feeling. It's good character interplay.   Rush's first challenge is to get rid of his military escort. Hope he got some hints from Young on that one.   Meanwhile, Telford looks in the mirror and notices that he's inhabiting Rush, not Morrison. Scott makes an excuse, which Telford obviously doesn't believe. And again we have a character whining and complaining about the clothes their host is wearing. And I find that really petty.   Despite what he said to Rush, Young also uses the stones to visit earth. He wants to talk to General O'Neill. Perhaps he doesn't trust Rush's dream as much as he lets on. And we get a classic Jack Line. “Everett, I'll have you know I'm missing a national security briefing for this.” There's actually nothing intrinsically funny about that line, it's just the way Richard Dean Anderson delivers it. Scenes like this show that Anderson's trademark O'Neill humour actually blends pretty well with the dark seriousness of Stargate Universe. Because it's a character trait.   I also like how they have a protocol for quickly and efficiently authenticating the identity of a stone user. That makes a lot of sense. Young tells O'Neill everything. Even suggests they let Rush ditch the escort and then tail him discreetly. The most interesting thing is, he makes no mention of Telford. The way he says it to O'Neill, it's like Rush is the traitor. On first viewing, it's hard to know what Young's game is right now.   There's a nice little scene where TJ is having a baby shower. The crew are quite resourceful in the gifts they are able to make with what they have at hand.   But Volker and Brody pull Eli aside. They know something is going on with Young and Rush. So the three of them have a little meeting, trying to figure out the conspiracy. This is a big difference between the civilian and military crewmembers. A military officer in this situation would probably just think, “My CO is doing something important and they have good reasons to keep it from me.” and get on with their duty. But the civilians get suspicious and want to know what's going on. Civilians are much less used to living with secrets.   But Telford breaks this mould a bit. He wants to know what's going on, because he knows Scott and Young are keeping something from him, and he's probably concerned because his body is being used for it. He confers with Camille.   Camille is not happy about being kept out of the loop. And that's when Young returns. He has some things to discuss with Telford, but Camille is still kept out of it. She's NOT happy.   Young questions Telford. Trying to find out what he knows. And we get some interesting new insight into both characters. Seems they were once friends. Before Telford let those people die to protect his own skin. Sounds like they've had this debate before. And we understand why Telford is so hurt about not being on Destiny. Sounds like command of this ship was supposed to be his prize, his reward for all that time undercover. He was supposed to lead the expedition to the ninth chevron address. That explains why there were two Colonels at Icarus. Young was in charge of the base, Telford was to be in charge of the mission. Young just isn't sure who to trust, other than O'Neill. In his mind, it's still possible that Rush is the mole, not Telford. He doesn't want to take any risks.   So Rush loses his escort. He has something to attend to, in a building. The escort says he came prepared and waves a book. It's Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Good sci-fi book. I never noticed that before. Anyway, it's surprisingly easy for Rush to lose the scort, although O'Neill is kind of allowing it. And we get a glimpse of who the tail is. Our old friend Dr. Daniel JAckson. Makes sense Jack would send someone he trusts. Presumably at this point, Daniel is still a member of SG-1, and SG-1 are the front-line time that deals with threats, both offworld and on earth. And it's wonderful to see him. This is actually the first time we've seen the real Daniel in person in SGU. Previously we've seen him in recordings, and in Rush's mind, but never the actual real Daniel in person.   Rush goes to search Telford's home for clues and finds a key. The key has a number, 314. I wonder, is that meant to be a reference to Pi?   It turns out to be a safety deposit box key. The box contains a phone. A good old flip-phone. I had one very similar. Rush takes a gamble. He rings the phone and says “It's  Telford. I have new information. We have to meet.” The response suggests that yes, Telford is indeed giving information to somebody.   Rush is brought to the same warehouse he saw in his dreams by the mysterious strangers. Daniel has tracked them and is watching from a safe distance. They're using some kind of jamming technology so Jack can't see what's going on in there. Good thing he has Daniel. Apparently, the technology doesn't block radios.   I'm really glad they brought DAniel back for this. It's not a huge part, it's absolutely the right way to do a callback to previous shows. It makes good sense in the story that Daniel would be doing this. And it's a joy to hear him and Jack interacting like this.   Then another vehicle turns up. A woman gets out and immediately demands to know who Rush is. She knows he's not Telford. He didn't use the right code when he called in. This is absolutely believable. Rush would have had to be very lucky to fool these people. They know about the ancient communication stones so the woman immediately puts two and two together.   And then a Goa'uld cargo ship decloaks.  Daniel calls in the cavalry. AT this point, Rush's innocence can be assumed, as can Telford's guilt.   But they're too late. The bad guys have flown off in their ship with Rush,   Think about how far DAniel has come from when we first saw him in the STargate movie played by JAmes Spader. At that time in his life he was so awkward. All he knew was his theories. And now, he's a gun-toting spy. The guy has grown so much, but it's been a very slow and steady character development. All very believable done. That's the advantage of having a 10+ year franchise. You really get to see these people change. It's awesome.   Next we get a great character scene with TJ. She was really enjoying her baby shower, it was all very positive. But now, as her friends have left the party, and she's alone with her thoughts, she's forced to confront those feelings she'd pushed away. How can she possibly give her baby a good life on this ship? What kind of life would that be?  Her child deserves so much better.   Chloe makes some good points, to comfort her. Getting home might seem impossible, but they've been averaging 3 impossible things per week since they arrived, so why assume the worst? And aren't we just so good at that? We always assume the worst. I know I do that quite often. But it's possible they may get back some day, and the child will be able to grow up on earth. She also says that the worst case scenario, there are lots of people on the ship who will care about the child. For all that it will lack, it won't lack love.   So let's think about this. Assuming the child has to grow up on Destiny, is that as bad as TJ thinks? There's no denying that life on Destiny is hard. Getting enough food can be a challenge, and when they do find food, it often doesn't taste great. But most of the suffering these people are going through is because of what they used to have. They miss the creature comforts of Earth. They miss their families.   TJ's child is not going to know any life other than what she experiences on Destiny. She doesn't know anybody back on earth to miss. She's never been there. Earth will just be “that please you visit with the stones.” That will be normal for him or her.   I think the baby may have a better and more fulfilling life than TJ is giving it credit for. I can't help but think of Naomi Wildman on Voyager. That ship was her home. She could never understand everyone else's obsession with a planet she'd never been to. Admittedly, Voyager was a luxury cruise ship compared to Destiny, but I think some of the principles still apply.   Naomi did have  an emotional need to connect with the father she'd never known, but TJ's baby won't even have that issue, because Young is the father and he's on the ship.   Back on earth, they've figured out the identity of the Lucian Alliance woman Kiva. Apparently she's highly ranked and brutal. It's pretty scary to think that they have people living on earth. Daniel is concerned for Rush's life. Young a little less so, afterall, Rush volunteered for this. He knew the risks.   Kiva is played by Rhona Mitra. Interestingly, she was the live action model for Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider games, before the movies. I'm assuming that means she did some motion capture work for the game.   Young wants permission to get the truth out of Telford.  Jack seems to be willing to turn a slight blidn eye to whatever means Young might use to get the information. “He didn't say how he was gonna get it out of him.” Now Daniel is really concerned. Telford may be a traitor, but he still has rights. Torturing him is not justifiable.   Young makes the point that the people who made the rules weren't thinking of a situation like this. But I'm not sure I see anything about their extraordinary situation that justifies torture. I'm kinda of shocked to see JAck so okay with all of this, but I think maybe he knows that Young won't go that far. He trusts Young's character. I dunno.   Seeing the cargo ship flying through hyperspace gave me nostalgic feelings for SG-1. It's often the little touches that excite us.   Rush is still trying to maintain the illusion that he is Telford, and that he didn't give the code on purpose.   Rush is actually pretty clever here. He gives a reasonable explanation. “I was concerned the SGC were getting suspicious of me, so I wanted it to look like you took me by force.”   And it almost convinces Kiva. It's handy that Rush knows her name. Not sure how.   So Young has Telford locked up and is questioning him. This whole residual memory thing seems to be something unique to Telford. Scott was swapping bodies with Teford when he saw the flash of Telford with Young's wife. Young must have swapped with Telford at some point in the past, as well.   Young theorises that is Telford's guit, that deep down he wants to confess. Young isn't ready to use any physical forms of persuasion on Telford yet, but Rush isn't so lucky. Kiva is torturing him. She wants to know who Rush is, and whether he ‘s of use to her.   Greer, ever the loyal soldier to Young, can't stop himself. When Young and Telford get into a fight, he comes rushing in and starts pounding Telford with his fists. After Telford throws the first punch, Young seems willing to hit him back, in an attempt to get him to confess.   At this point, Rush has admitted to Kiva that he's not Telford. Kiva assumes none of the scientists on Destiny could endure such torture, so he's got to either be Young or Scott. She sure knows a lot about the people on Destiny. But then, Icarus was of interest to them. That's why they tried to take the base in episode 1.   Anyway, credit to Rush for being tough enough to not break under all this.    Kiva gives her word that she'll not kill him if he gives her his name. Of course, she's the kind of person who tortures others, so you probably don't want to put too much faith in her honesty. But Rush can't hold out any longer. She says she won't kill him. He grasps onto that and blurts out his name.   It's at this point in the episode that I suddenly realise, Rush is getting a double dose of torture. His mind is being tortured by Kiva, and his body is getting smacked around by Young. So when he returns to his body, he's gonna have some injuries to deal with. Young has to remember that. It's actually Rush's body he's punching.   This is where we learn what the Lucian Alliance are actually up to. They've found another Icarus planet with Naquadrian deposits. They have Rush's formula for dialing the ninth chevron. They're gonna try to get to Destiny.   Young tries to guilt Telford by talking about the victims of Icarus, and the other incident, but then he offers him a sliver of hope. Maybe it wasn't your fault. Maybe they brainwashed you. He wants Telford to search inside his hidden memories and reveal where they might have taken Rush.   There's some really great writing and acting going on in these scenes. Not to mention impressive make-up effects with all the blood. Looks very realistic and icky.   Some people look at a show like this, they look at Young's actions, and they dislike the show because the hero is doing bad things. For them, that ruins the show. PErsonally, I like flawed characters, so my reaction is very different. It doesn't mean I approve of what Young is doing any more than they do, but it doesn't mean the show is bad.   And then we see the cargo ship arrive at the planet. And there's a goa'uld pyramid. More nostalgic SG-1 imagery. Honestly, I love these little moments just as much as the appearances by the actors.   The inside of this pyramid base is actually a redress of the gateroom set from SG-1. So was the gateroom on Icarus base in Air part 1. They do a great job because I'd never have known if I wasn't told.   By this point, you might be noticing that all of the Lucian Alliance people are speaking english. Now the Stargate TV franchise has always had this conceit that all aliens, and humans on other planets, speak English. They didn't want to have to spend half of every episode dealing with communications problems, and I understand that. Most sci-fi shows come up with some magical technology to hand-wave this away, but Stargate doesn't. It's harder for them to come up with something because it's set in present-day. Stargate Atlantis continued this conceit. Even in the Pegasus galaxy, everyone they met spoke English.   Now Stargate Universe took a different tactic. The aliens we met in this show, and there aren't many of them, were much more alien. They didn't speak English. In fact, the blue aliens we've met so far don't even have the vocal equipment to speak english words. The best they can do is make squawking noise. However, when it comes to humans, even humans whose ancestors were taken from earth millennia ago by the Goa'uld, the show maintains the conceit of them speaking English. This used to bother me a little. Because SGU was a much more grounded show. But thinking about it this time around, we know that humans from the Lucian Alliance have infiltrated earth. Kiva looks very much the earthling in her business suit and earrings. It is very believable that those who have been to earth have taught English to the others. So either way, it works.   Anyway, Rush has a whole new challenge now. He has to calculate how to power a stargate on a new Icarus-type planet. IT could take him the rest of his life. And that's assuming he gives the Lucian Alliance his full cooperation.   When Rush tells them the bad news, Kiva isn't happy. He says Olan's work is shoddy at best. He might have to start from scratch. So Kiva has Olan strangled to death. Rush is visibly horrified by this. He even admits he was just stalling when he said that. Kiva is living up to her brutal reputation. She's cemented herself as probably the most hateable villain we've had on this show.   Camille is very concerned about what's going on with Telford in that room. She approaches Greer in the hopes he'll tell her something. He just tells her it's a military matter. It doesn't concern her. And honestly, that's a fair answer. This IS a private military matter. Until they know the full truth about Telford, there's no need to spread this throughout the whole ship. But as Camille says, it's that kind of talk that led to the coup.  Scott isn't willing to tell her anything, but when the door opens, and Young comes out, she catches a glimpse of a very bloody Rush, which of course is Telford.   And this is when he brings O'Neill aboard. This was a special thrill for me, to see Jack on board Destiny.   Jack authorised Telford to be held without charge or council, but not exactly the attack by greer. Young has also roughed Telford up, but they've both kinda given as good as they've gotten.   There's this one moment when Telford just switches. He admits that he's been in on this. He's working with the Lucian Alliance. “You should look at your faces. You're so surprised,” he says. Young really had been hoping there might be some other explanation. It's some good acting from Lou Diamond Philips the way he suddenly turns it on and becomes a different character.   I guess that means that Telford is quite an actor as well.   So this was pretty big. Yes, Telford has been something of an antagonist in the show, but in this scene, he transitions from one of the good guys to a full-on villain. It always feels bold when shows do this.  Now we still don't know for sure, at this point, if Telford is being mind-controlled, but either way, this character has been hiding a dark secret since before we first saw him on screen. I love this stuff.   Anyway, he starts trying to justify his actions. He says he wasn't brainwashed, he simply came to his senses. And he makes a couple of decent points. They freed millions of people from thousands of years of slavery all over their galaxy. What did they think was going to happen? The power void left behind by the Goa'uld was filled quickly by people from those freed worlds. The strongest and most ambitious of them. The Lucian Alliance. SG-1 didn't always give a lot of forethought to the consequences of their actions when taking down the Goa'uld. Which is not to say they were wrong to do it, but things were a little more complex than Jack sometimes was able to appreciate.   Jack has heard enough. He ordered Young to do whatever he needed to do. That's a little concerning. What exactly does he think Young is going to do? I'm again, a little surprised that Jack is so cool with all of this.   Scott has told Camille the truth. She knows everything. She feels Rush's life is more important than any intel they can get. She wants to cut the connection, which would leave Telford in the alliance's custody. But, as he's admitted, he's a traitor.   Young has the air pumped out of Telford's room. Eli and Volker are hesitant to push the button, but Brody does it. I wonder, does Brody assume Young is bluffing, and they'll put the air back in shortly, or is he actually, in his mind, following an order to kill somebody? That's a pretty heavy thing to do, and Brody's not even military.   Telford is convinced Young's not going to kill him. And that's where the episode ends. On a major cliffhanger, which leads directly into the two-part season finale.   It could be argued that what Young has done up until now is not, in fact, torture. I mean, Telford had an opportunity to defend himself. He wasn't tied to a chair and forced to take punches. But this? This is close to crossing the line. But how else is he going to get the information they need?   What do you think of Young's actions in this episode?  Torture is evil and wrong. I feel quite comfortable and confident saying that.  What Kiva did to Rush was clearly torture. What Young did is more debatable.   Personally, I don't think torture is ever ethically justifiable. But there could be situations where it feels less clear cut. What if the person being tortured is really evil. An extremely bad person. Like, even worse than Kiva. And say that your child was going to die unless you got information out of that person. It still may not be ethically justified, but as a parent, I'd find my principles sorely tested in that situation. Because I'd do anything to protect my children.   Interestingly, in this whole scenario, it's not Telford that Camille is worried about at the end, it's Rush. Yes, they're trying to get intel to rescue Rush, but they could save his life simply by deactivating the stones. But Young wants more than to just save Rush. He wants to bring down this Lucian Alliance conspiracy. These people who have infiltrated Earth. That's what's really about, because without Rush, they won't have any hope of dialling Destiny.   Young is probably going too far at this point. Camille might be right.   This was an incredible episode. It was wonderful to see Jack and Daniel from SG-1, and it was wonderful to have references to elements from the greater Stargate lore, like Goa'uld ships and the Lucian Alliance, but even without all of that, this was still an amazing piece of story-telling. Great writing, great acting. I loved it to bits.   So next time we'll be looking at Incursion Part 1, where we continue this story with the Lucian Alliance. Things are gonna get  epic. Can you believe we're here? We're almost at the end of season 1.   Have a wonderful 2 weeks,  Live long and prosper Make it so.  

The crew of Destiny are having strange hallucinations. But what is causing them? Will these visions be the death of them, or a chance to heal some of the hurts of the past? Join me as I delve into this latest episode of Stargate Universe. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm the Pizza Jedi Because it's been a bit cold around here lately. I'm also known as Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars because I am a Nerd   And if you're not watching the youTube version of the podcast right now, you're likely very confused. I'm currently wearing an oddie, which is kind of like a blanket with sleeves and a hood, and it's got prints of pizza slices all over it.   This is episode 66 Of the podcast.   Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Pain”   The description on Gateworld reads The ship's crew is plagued by hallucinations that manifest their fears and desires.   This episode was written by Carl Binder It was directed by William Waring And it first aired on the 14th of May 2010.   We begin with a pretty shocking scene. Lieutenant Scott and Lieutenant James are in bed together, doing what people do. They push this scene about as far as they possibly can without showing actual nudity. More than I thought was necessary personally, but anyway.    It's clearly on board Destiny, so not a flashback to their time together on Icarus. You can't really tell who these people are until it's all over, so the reveal is surprising. Once they're done, Scott immediately starts to leave, saying “We can't be doing this.” But, of course, he's just done it. And the dialog suggests this isn't the first time.   James isn't having any of this. She won't let Scott push her away again, but she won't be his mistress on the side either. Scott has to choose. Her or Chloe.  And then things get violent between the two of them. And it results with Scott lying on the deck with blood flowing from his head.   As I said, pretty shocking.   Meanwhile, Volker is having door problems. They won't open for him. But they work perfectly for Riley, as he stares smugly back at poor Volker.   Greer finds Camille acting very suspiciously in the gateroom. And Eli is looking for Scott.   At this point, we're all probably suspecting that the show is using a sci-fi trope we've seen before. Everyone on the ship is having nightmares.   Except that Matt appears to be missing in Greer's dream, while he lies dead in James's dream. Is there are connection? Is this coincidence? Or is it not a dream?   Just put yourself in James's shoes. You've just killed someone, one of your fellow crew, by accident. And then the radio calls asking why you're late. What do you do? You know there's no coming back from what you've done. You know that Scott's death is going to be discovered. It's all but inevitable. But how do you tell your commanding officer, “Ah, actually sir, I kind of just killed Matt.” It's a very surreal moment, as she's paralysed by fear, regret and uncertainty. What does she do? She could try to hide the body, of course. Make it look like she's not the killer. But that's not going to be easy, especially in her current emotional state, which is pretty psychologically realistic, I'd say. Wonderfully performed.   Volker is now trapped in a hallway, surrounded by doors that won't open on all sides. Until he hears his name, snaps out of it, and fins himself standing in a much larger room. So, not quite dreams. More like daydreams. Hallucinations. Scary stuff. I think I'd be more scared of the fact I was losing my mind in this way, than I would be by the scary dreams themselves.   It's significant that the person who snaps Volker out of it is in fact Scott. He's alive.   Good news for James. But she doesn't know yet.   Scott is also dreaming now. He sees his son, Matthew, walking around the ship Young and Rush go to confront Camille about her actions in the gate room. They know nothing about it. She denies ever being there. But Greer is not present. So is this the real world now? It's kind of hard to tell what's real and what isn't in this episode. Which I think is deliberate. It's making us feel exactly what the characters are feeling.   Another crewmember believes there is a snake under his skin, causing him to freak out. Of course, TJ can't find anything.   Greer's suspicion of Camille makes sense. She lead that civilian uprising against the military.   Rush seems better able to accept the dreams as false and push them aside, given his highly rational mind. He thinks Greer is spying on him, but evidence suggests otherwise. Ok, he thinks. I must have imagined it because it cannot be. And moves on with his life.   Young finds JAmes in her quarters, sitting on her bed in tears. “I'm so sorry, she says. Of course, Young can't see the corpse that she can see.   Scott finds his son. He knows it can't be real. There is no way Matthew can be on board the ship. And so he is able to rationalise it in much the same way Rush does.   The trouble with James's vision is that it's more realistic. I don't mean to say she'd really kill Scott, but her dream doesn't involve any people that can't be on board, or situations that are impossible.   She is so relieved to see Scott alive when he walks in. Have you ever had a nightmare, where you think someone you love has died, or your spouse has left you, or you've made a terrible mistake, and then you wake up and realise it was just a dream. Have you ever felt that huge sense of relief? I have. It's powerful. But she's still freaked out, because this means she's been hallucinating. Which as I said before, would be really scary.   I'm jumping all over the place in my analysis today, because that's exactly what the episode does. Lots of quick chops and changes, which adds to the feeling of disorientation. It's quite effective.   Now that people are starting to talk, they're aware that many of them are seeing things. That's good. At least now they can start to deal with it. They talk about several crew members who were on the last away mission to a planet. There's a strong link between those on the away team and those having hallucinations. So….I guess this means they've already arrived in the next galaxy?   I was all set to talk about how doing a ship-bound character episode made a lot of sense right now, because they're still travelling through the void between galaxies. They can't visit any planets, so this is the perfect story to tell, and show that travelling between galaxies takes a while.   I'm pretty disappointed that's not what they did. I'm not saying it's invalid to skip over the rest of the trip and pick up the story on the other side, but I think this was a missed opportunity. Babylon 5 used to allow for travel time. You'd see people leave the station and then several episodes later they'd arrive at their destination. It added a big sense of believability to the show. I think it would have been great to do something like that here. Do a little character-driven story while they're in transit, and then next week have them arrive in the new galaxy at the beginning. And have a little fanfare about it. A brand new galaxy to explore. At least one or two of these people must be able to get a little wide-eyed about that, surely.   Anyway. That's my little rant. So they're in the next galaxy now, and they've already been to visit one of the planets off-screen.   There's a problem with their theory, though. One of the people on the last away team, Barnes, has not had a single hallucination. Maybe she's naturally immune.   But that's when TJ finds little creatures, like ticks, attached to the back of the heads of all of them except Barnes. That's our connection.   These ticks are the first native inhabitants of this galaxy we've met. The prospect of having the tick removed produces mixed emotions for Scott. He doesn't want to see things that aren't there, but at the same time, this is the only way he can see an interact with his son. And he knows it's not real. But still….   Unfortunately, the removal failed. The tick has dug in even deeper.   Greer is still seeing Camille sneaking around the ship. Was he on the away team? It's nice to see the consequences of the uprising still hanging over our characters, as well it should. Trust was broken during that incident, and no matter how hard both sides have been working to put it behind them, the wounds are still there. Honestly, Greer is probably wise to be keeping an eye on Camille and Rush, but in his current state, his natural caution is descending into paranoia. The difference is, he has no proof, not even any real evidence. Just a feeling that is overpowering him.   And surprise, Chloe is seeing her father in the cockpit of the shuttle where he died. The effects of these ticks seem to be spreading. Or maybe it's not the ticks at all.   It's a difficult emotional moment for her. In the end, she allows herself to fall into his arms, because real or not, this is the only way she'll ever be able to embrace her dad. The  plot of this episode allows the characters to deal with some things from their past. In Chloe's case, it's helping her to find some closure, by talking to her father about her feelings.   TJ is going to try to anaethsitise the tick using the venom from the time planet, but she can't find it. Could it be that the tick transferred from Scott to Chloe?   Eli is pretty worried about Chloe when he finds her talking to her imaginary father. When he learns what's going on, he's understandably keen to get her to the medical bay. But Chloe doesn't want to go. She doesn't want her father to leave. Not yet. She knows this is an alien parasite. She knows it's injecting a toxin into her. But this is a chance for her to see her father, hear his voice, be encouraged by him. She doesn't want to give that up. And I can understand that too.   She begs Eli to give her some more time. Keep it secret just a little while, so she can have a bit more time with her dad.   Now Rush is being affected. It's interesting that some people experience pleasant hallucinations, while others have truly nightmarish experiences. Like Rush, who thinks he's drowning. Pretty terrifying. And then he sees one of the blue aliens. The stuff of his real-life nightmares.   The venom works. TJ is able to remove the tick from James. And she realises that Chloe was in the med bay earlier and might be affected. Scott goes off to find her.   When Scott finds her, and she lies to him about seeing her father, Eli is faced with a difficult decision. Lie on her behalf, like she asked him to, or tell Scott the truth so she can get help. You can see the conflict on his face. Ultimately, I think he did the right thing by telling Scott. They don't know what long-term effect this tick toxin has on people. It could be dangerous to let this go on too long. She gets to say one last goodbye, but ultimately, she has to lose him all over again.   But as they drag her, screaming, from the observation room, her father begs her not to leave him. The tick doesn't want to let go of her.   As the hallucinations get more and more worrisome, Rush is finding it harder to dismiss them. He's caught up in it all.   And now Greer is seeing the aliens too. Young tries to talk him down, but in the hallucination, Young's voice says something very different. So now he's running around the ship believing he's been given permission to use deadly force. That could be a problem if he sees his crewmates as aliens.   Even worse, he thinks Rush is working with the aliens.   And Rush is seeing Greer as an alien.   TJ theorises that the away team brought back more than one tick, which explains how Greer and Rush are infected.   The people in the medical bay are also making theories. The ticks target the lymbic system which is linked to human emotions. It draws out Scott's guilt over not being there for his son. Chloe's grief over her father. Volker's claustrophobia. A fear of snakes. Things get really awkward when they look at James and say “and you?” So….deep down, does James want to hurt Scott for the way he played with her heart and then abandoned her? Has she fantasised about killing him? There are times when we really don't want our inner-most thoughts and feelings to be exposed to those around us,.   Camille is wounded and losing blood. Greer has been pretty rough with her because he believes she's taking over the ship, in league with Rush and the aliens. And another little callback. Greer sees his father, telling him to shoot Camille.   Scott tries using C3 on the door that Greer has locked. I always get very nervous when people use explosives on board a space ship in stories. It's never a good idea.   Scott is able to diffuse the situation before anyone gets hurt. But those who experienced the hallucinations are all facing the uncomfortable after-effects of their experiences. Perhaps this stuff wasn't so healing after all.   At the end of the episode, they encounter a new planet. Everyone seems a little hesitant to send a team, after what happened last time.   Young is feeling it too, but he pushes past that. “Our luck's gotta change at some point, right?” he says. Three episodes left. Next time, we'll be talking about Subversion. That will lead us directly into the two-part season finale, Incursion. We've got a big new plot arc that's about to take off next time. You won't want to miss these next few episodes. I'm really looking forward to them.   Please consider leaving this show a review, wherever you listen to it, because that helps to spread the word.   Thanks again for listening to Nerd Heaven Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so

In the Stargate Universe episode "Sabotage" we find Destiny stranded in the void between galaxies. Is it just an engine malfunction, or is it more? An old friend of Rush, Doctor Amanda Perry comes aboard to help with repairs, but that makes somebody on the ship must inhabit her quadriplegic body. This episode examines themes of disability. It also sees the return of our lost crewmembers and the aliens. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a Nerd.   This is episode 65 of the podcast. Today we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode Sabotage.   The description on Gateworld reads When problems with the F.T.L. drive threatens to leave Destiny stranded, the crew calls upon an expert from Earth to help -- a quadriplegic woman who temporarily takes over Wray's body.   The episode was written by Barbara Marshall It was directed by Peter Deluise And it first aired on the 7th of May 2010.   Young is going about his daily activities, but he's finding it hard. The loss of Scott, Eli and Chloe weighs heavily on him. As well it should. The remaining crew have assembled in the gate room. He explains the situation to the crew. They're now on strict food and power rations. He tells them that all hope of rescuing Eli, Chloe and Scott is gone.   I think they were going to have something of a memorial for them, but Rush calls Young to the control room. It's rather typical of Rush that he's not at this gathering. Young pounces on this. Maybe he's found another option. He dismisses the crew and joins Rush But it's not good news. Rush knows exactly why Destiny is going into power saving mode. They're going to come short of their target, in their journey to the next galaxy. Destiny won't make it across the void. And that's probably the worst thing they could discover. There's nothing like the prospect of getting stuck in the void between galaxies to make you appreciate how good you had it being stuck in an alien galaxy surrounded by stars and planets. This raises an important question. Why is Destiny even trying if it's not going to make it? We'll find the answer to this in a second, and it's pretty cold. Destiny just passed through a star so they should be well stocked with power. But as we recall, the first time we re-charged at the start of the season, the ship didn't fill up all the way.Records show that destiny only just made it the last couple of times it tried to travel from one galaxy to another. And they've sustained a lot of battle damage since then. The ship is on a predetermined course. Since they haven't taken control yet, it's going to continue following that course. It can drift the last bit of the way and eventually arrive, but the crew will be long dead by then.   Brody suggests trying to improve the efficiency of the engine, but Volker sounds a caution. They don't know what they're doing. They're not experts on ancient engine technology. Rush admits this, but he says he knows a few people who are. That's interesting. While the Atlantis expedition did find an ancient warship or two, so those systems could have been studied, nobody back on earth has ever seen the engines used by Destiny. Remember, the ship travels faster than light, but not through hyperspace. It's a completely different form of propulsion. So the people on Destiny are the only living humans who have ever seen this technology.   Rush's suggestion is Amanda Perry. She was to work on the next generation of hyperdrive technology for Earth. So this engine will still be new to her, but maybe she'll know a little more about how ancient technology works. She might have the skill to pick up a thing or two. It's pretty rare that Rush admits that somebody else is more knowledgeable than he is. It does happen, but it's got to be somebody who has earned his respect. Amanda Perry is one of those people. This is why Rush struggled with Eli so much. He can respect Eli's mind, but he can't respect Eli's lack of education and motivation.   But now it's Rush's turn to sound a word of caution. Amanda Perry is a qudraplegic. She requires a respirator to keep her alive. She has a full-time carer to look after her. That means whoever swaps bodies with her is going to be in for a rough time. Young assembles a group of female crewmembers, looking for a volunteer to swap bodies with Perry. Have you noticed they always match the sex of the people exchanging bodies? It makes sense to do that, but this scene is confirmation that this is a deliberate choice.   This is going to be a difficult assignment. Lieutenant James says she'll do it, if it means she can see her family.   For Amanda, this is a wondrous experience, more so than for most. Not only is she in somebody else's body, on an alien spaceship in a distant galaxy, she's able to move her body. She's free of her disability. And that must be truly wondrous.   But for all the wonder Perry is experiencing, James can't take the horror of her situation. It frightens her so much she pulls the plug.  “I'm sorry, Sir,” she says. “I can't do it.”   It's hard to judge Jamest too harshly for this. Suddenly finding yourself in that kind of situation would be really scary. Not everyone would have what it takes to do it. But then, Amanda Perry never had a choice, did she? She has to live with it every day of her life, and she can't just pull the plug and return to an able body.   Now Camille volunteers. She is immediately introduced to Mary, her carer. Camille only has one thing on her mind. Going home to see Sharon.   James is feeling pretty guilty at her failure. She feels she has let Colonel Young down. When Perry walks into the mess hall, she can't face her.   Perry wants to try one of the alien fruits. The ones that look like cherry tomatoes. Unlike most people, she doesn't spit it out. What she says next is very telling. “This is the first food I've been able to feed myself since I was 6.”   Sharon has taken some holiday time from work so she can spend time with Camilla while she's on earth, and help look after her. She's a little afraid of breaking Camille.   Something in the engines explodes and Destiny is thrown out of FTL. I'm a little surprised they didn't brief Perry on the possibility of the connection being interrupted briefly if they leave FTL. Sure, they weren't expecting it to happen this time, but you'd think there'd be a standard briefing that everyone always gets when using the stones for the first time.   Something is up with James. She was walking through the ship, and then blacked out. She doesn't remember what happened but when she came to, the engines had failed. Did she have something to do with that?   And then we get a surprise. Franklin walks into the medical bay. Awake. He's a little spaced out, but he's awake.   Sharon is trying her best to adjust to all of this. HAving to care for Camille in such a vulnerable state. Meanwhile, Mary, the professional carer seems to be taking everything about alien spaceships and body-swapping in her stride. I wonder how long she's had clearance.   There's lots of little things to get used to. Sharon is talking to Camille while she eats, fed by Mary. But the distraction causes her to choke on her food. Camille is worried that this is freaking Sharon out. I wouldn't blame her if she was a little freaked out.   This is when the gate dials.And of course, it's our missing crew members. They assumed that the crew had found a way to drop out of FTL so they could dial in. They knew they could try again because the kino controller lit up once she ship dropped out of FTL Of course, we know it wasn't the crew. It was the engine malfunction.   In the grand scheme of everything going on in this episode, the return of our lost crewmembers feels almost a little anticlimactic, after that shock ending last time. But they had to get them home somehow, and this all ties in with the threat that will be introduced later in the episode.   There's a cool shot of Destiny floating in intergalactic space, with the galaxy they've just left in the background. Of course, for them to be far enough away that they could see the entire galaxy like that, well, they certainly wouldn't still be in range of the gate. So while it looks cool, it's very unrealistic.   If we hadn't already figured it out, we find out that Perry and Rush know each other pretty well. They were colleagues at the SGC before he moved to Icarus base. She calls him Nick. They had long talks after Rush's wife died. I think her friendship was one of the things that helped him through that time. It was nothing romantic. They talked about the ancients, ascension, that kind of stuff. Although it seems she had a thing for him. He didn't seem to see the chair. She dropped a few hints but he didn't pick up on them. I don't blame him. He was still mourning the loss of his wife, and we blokes don't pick up on subtle hints at the best of times.   Eli is surprised when Perry shares this with him. At first, she feels a little offended, assuming he thinks disabled people can't have feelings. No doubt she's had to deal with that kind of attitude before. But no. Eli is just surprised that anybody could be interested in a man like Rush.   Perry also says she'd give anything to be on Destiny. I think sometimes Eli forgets what a wonder it is to be on the ship.   It turns out, the FTL failure was a blessing in disguise. There are a bunch of components that all work in parallel together, but they are constrained by the efficiency of the weakest link. That weakest link was the one that exploded. Therefore, Destiny now should be able to make it to the next galaxy with no problem.   That's very lucky.   But there's still some repair work to be done. They think they can use the robot they found in a recent episode. There's another option they can fall back on. By sitting in the chair, they might be able to access the core systems and bypass the damaged engine with a single command. That would be easier. The robot looks pretty cool. Like a big metal insect.   They're planning a mission through the gate back to the planet where Scott, Eli and Chloe were. If they can't repair the ship, that's where the crew will end up living. It's not clear exactly what the aim of the mission is. I mean, the lost crew members have been there. They already know what it's like. They thought they were stranded so they must have done some analysis of its suitability for long-term settlement.   TJ wants to go on the mission. She wants to see the planet where she may have to raise her child.    They send a kino through to see what's up before they go through. Eli thinks it's a waste of time because they were just there. He's in the middle of saying “you military types are too attached to your procedure.” when they get an image from the planet. It's our old friends, the blue aliens. They're shooting at the kino. I guess that procedure wasn't such a bad thing after all.   The good news is that the aliens don't have a remote so they can't dial the gates. The bad news is they can't go through the gate. They have to fix the engines. There's no other choice now.   Three weeks go by. Which means that's three weeks Camille is stuck in this disabled body. Sharon is afraid to leave her side. But Camille wants her to get out of the house for a little while. But when she takes a long time to come home, Camille panics. And then goes into some kind of convulsion.   Franklin might be out of his coma, but he's definitely not back to normal. He's not really aware of what's going on around him. He has to be hand fed. Brody is making grog in a still.   Rush introduces Perry to the stuff. It seems pretty potent. It's going to be hard for Perry to return to her own body. She's loving being able to walk around.   Perry asks Rush outright if he knew how she felt about her. He thought she just felt sorry for him.  She invites him into her quarters. This is another of times that we examine that theme of how you treat another person's body when you're inhabiting it. This time around things are a little more nuanced. For her, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her to have a proper physical relationship with someone. She really wants to be with Rush. And he wants it too. But there are complications. He knows that's Perry in there, but he also knows it's Camille's body. I can't imagine she would approve of her body being used in this way. And as for Rush, he's recently had to relive the experience of losing his wife. That is still very raw and fresh for him.    They've basically decided not to do anything. At least they can hug. And that's when TJ surprises them. You can tell by the way she looks at them that she has concerns. James has been having weird dreams. She thinks she may be responsible for damaging the ship. It seems when she abruptly ended her stone connection at the start of the episode, she didn't erase her imprint from the stone. One of the blue aliens used their stone to temporarily control her to sabotage the ship. The alien host body was obviously encased in a small dark room, so James wouldn't know what was going on. Clever. They've probably been trying this for some time.   Ironically, by doing this, they allowed out missing people to get back to the ship. At this point, everyone has to assume the aliens know Destiny's position and they are coming. Not good, considering their engine is still undergoing repairs.   Camille has recovered from whatever was happening to her. PErry might be coming back to her own body soon, so Camille has to return to an airforce facility.   The crew of destiny are preparing for her. They'll do what they can to protect the ship. It's time for Young to risk using the chair. That's when Franklin speaks. Two words. The Chair.   The aliens arrive. It's getting very exciting. James takes a leap of logic that Franklin thinks he should be the one to use the chair. He knows something but can't communicate it effectively. So now we have a debate about who should sit in the thing. Young or Franklin?   In the end, it's Franklin who goes in. Something new is happening. The temperature in the chair room is dropping rapidly. Franklin tells the others to leave. Just as they're about to be boarded, the FTL drive powers up and they jump. Good timing. Things are looking good. They're gonna make it. They're safe.   Sadly for Perry, that means she's going to have to go home. Camille is very glad to be home. It can't have been easy for her.   It's now time to see what's going on with Franklin. But when they open the door, he's not there. The room is empty, save for some mist.   I think we'll have to wait until season 2 before we find out what's actually happened to him. ALthough I might be wrong.   So this episode was a lot more exciting than I'd remembered. The arrival of Perry, and Camille's experience in the wheelchair were pretty cemented in my mind, but I'd forgotten this was also the episode where the lost crew returned, and I'd also forgotten the alien involvement.   Next week we dive deep into our characters, and let the crew come to terms with some of the stuff they've been going through, in the episode Pain.   Have you heard that Amazon is offering to buy MGM. That means that Amazon Prime Video could be the likeliest place we'll see the new Stargate show that Brad Wright is trying to get greenlit. I think Amazon would be a good home for Stargate. At present the only original sci-fi they really have is The Expanse and Star Trek Picard, and they don't even have Picard in North America.    Anyway, there's still nothing official. If we do get a new show, it'll be a while before it happens.   Thanks again for listening to Nerd Heaven Have a great two weeks Live long and prosper Make it so  

In the Stargate Universe episode "Lost" we follow Eli, Scott, Chloe and Greer as they struggle to find a way back to Destiny before it's out of their reach forever. It also delves into Greer's backstory.

In today's Stargate Universe podcast, we talk about the episode "Human" which features Michael Shanks guest starring as Doctor Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1. Rush is trying to figure out how to unlock the computer on Destiny, in order to control the ship. But to do that, he must relive the most traumatic moment of his life. This episode does some wonderful character exploration and development for Rush. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 63 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Human.”   The description on Gateworld reads Rush uses the neural interface chair to try and access Destiny's systems, causing him to recall the events which led to his recruitment into the Stargate program.   This episode was written by Jeff Vlaming It was directed by Robert C Cooper, It guest starred Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson And it first aired on the 23 of april 2010.   The first thing we see in this episode is Rush waking up in a very normal human bed next to a woman. This is his wife, Gloria. She goes about making breakfast while he works, listening to classical music. This is clearly an earlier point in his life.   Even in his life before being a space traveller he was still a workaholic. He was up very early because he had things to do. But, it seems he found someone who could tolerate his eccentricities.   They do some interesting things with the camera during this sequence to show us this isn't the present, and is likely a dream. Lots of very extreme closeups on things, and they let a whole heap of light into the lens so everything seems a bit over-exposed. These are the kinds of tricks that directors use to show us that “something is off”.   I love that first look we get at Rush's home office. There are pieces of paper covering literally every square centimetre of his walls. It nicely demonstrates his obsession. But what is he obsessing over at this point in his life? We don't know yet.   But he pulls out of an appointment with his wife. He won't be able to make it today.   And it seems that like all true academics, Rush doesn't just do pure research. He teaches as well. He's a lecturer. This is very common. When you work at a university, you tend to do both teaching and research. Universities actually have two missions. One, pass on knowledge to the next generation, that's the mission of every school, but it's the second mission that sets them apart from a high school or a primary school. They are tasked with generating the knowledge that is passed on.   Another woman, Constance, is concerned that he's not with Gloria. “I thought you'd be worried sick,” she says. “I am,” Rush replies in his deadpan dismissive way. Rush doesn't like to betray much in the way of emotions, especially the emotions that are sometimes perceived as weakness, such as sorrow.   And he's seeing these symbols floating in front of him wherever he goes. It's very distracting to him. He's constantly writing things in a notebook. This is our first hint that we're not just looking at a flashback from Rush's past.   When Gloria rings him to tell him that ‘it's” back, I think we can all figure out what she's referring to. She's got cancer, but Rush doesn't seem to care. He acts like she's telling him what they're having for dinner. She asks if he's coming home and he fobs her off like he cares nothing for her. If you're watching this for the first time then you likely want to punch Rush in the face and tell him to go home and be with his wife.   This is our second hint that this isn't just a flashback. It's something more.   When Rush finally does arrive home, we see what might have attracted him to Gloria in the first place. She's playing violin. He's a real sucker for classical music. But he doesn't even go to her, he just walks off, probaby back to his home office.   When we next see him, he's out and about, noticing something about a car's number plate. And that's when a  very familiar man comes running across the road. “Doctor Rush, I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson.” “So you are.” Rush doesn't have time for this. “You're going to tell me about the Stargate program, and your dilemma of how to dial the ninth and final chevron, namely, how to generate sufficient energy to do so.”   Daniel is understandably confused, as we probably are too. “How do you know this? These details are highly classified.”   “I know because it's already happened. You're just a figment of my imagination. A memory I'm having to relive in order to achieve what I want.”   I love Daniel's face when Rush tells him this and then walks away. How are you supposed to respond when somebody tells you that you don't exist?   That's when we see Rush in the chair. He's finally worked up the courage to sit in the thing himself. Brody is there monitoring him, but it seems Young and Eli didn't know. The chair hasn't put Rush into a coma-like it did with Franklin, so apparently, he's learned how to use it safely. He couldn't risk his own life in it otherwise.   So he's trying to figure something out while in this hallucination state. This explains why he's being so cold to Gloria. That's not how it went down originally. The last thing he wants to have to do is re-live what was probably the most painful experience in his life. It's all a distraction from his goal.   Constance behaves like any real person would if she saw Rush ignoring his dying wife like she was a distraction. She's a part of the dream's narrative, so she can't understand what's really going on here.   I understand that none of this is real, so Rush is not actually hurting Gloria's or anyone else's feelings. That Gloria doesn't actually exist. She's just a piece of his memory. But it still must be really hard for Rush to act the way he's acting.   Back in the real world, Chloe joins Eli in the mess hall. He's been ignoring her ever since the civilian uprising. Eli feels that Chloe betrayed him so he hasn't been spending time with her. Let's see if they can resolve this broken relationship in a more satisfying way than they did the Chloe/Scott relationship.   Chloe apologises wholeheartedly. She expresses how much his friendship means to her. She needs to know they'll be okay. She promises to never betray him again.   He's mostly silent. He doesn't promise they're all good, but when the ship drops out of FTL, he does invite her to join him in seeing where they are now.   The gate has dialed a planet that has stone ruins of buildings. Cool! This is the first sign of civilisation they've found out here, well, other than the obelisk, but that was different. That was something constructed by intelligent beings, but no sign of an actual civilisation.   They haven't detected any life signs on the planet with the Kino. They have 6 hours to check it out.   Eli wants to go check it out. Of course he does. Eli jumps in straight away and says she wants to go too. I think she just wants an excuse to spend some time with Eli and try to rebuild their friendship. And credit to Eli, he helps make her case for her, claiming that she's been studying Doctor Jackson's work. And apparently, it's the truth because he tells her to say something archeological and she immediately replies with “Stratification.” It's an amusing little scene. I think Young is quite amused by their attempts to sway him when they really don't have to. He has no problem with them going.   As usual, I'm much more invested in the Chloe/Eli relationship than I am in the Chloe/Scott relationship. But this time watching through, I'm less concerned with wanting them to be a romantic pairing. I'm just enjoying the friendship that the writers are developing between them.   Rush is making good use of his university teaching. Rather than just see his class as a distraction, he's trying to get them to help him crack the encryption. But they don't have the answers so he tells them to leave. What use are they? They're not really people, afterall.   That's when Daniel shows up again. This whole dream is Rush trying to solve the encryption on the ship's computer, that is keeping them from controlling the ship's path.   We learn that in reality, when Gloria really was dying, Rush became consumed with trying to solve the mystery of the ninth chevron. In the end, his wife died alone because he was away. We begin to see, as we look at Rush's backstory, why he is the way he is. Rush can be a massive jerk, but he's been through a lot. These are the things that made him a jerk. There's a whole lot of hurt and pain behind everything he says and does. We also learn how he really feels about Eli. He's threatened by this big kid with no meaningful education who spends most of his time playing ridiculous games. It really bothers him that Eli succeeded where he failed.   This is all a good reminder to me to think about what's really going on in people's lives. It's easy to dislike somebody because they're a jerk, but sometimes we need to dig a little deeper and realise that there's so much more going on inside them. Perhaps a great deal of hurt. I'm not saying past hurts are justification for being a jerk, but often we fail to exercise enough compassion, because we don't take the time to see what's really going in people's lives.   Daniel tries to empathise with Rush. He lost his wife too. There was nothing he could do to save Sha're and that hurt him a lot. This is really interesting. This is absolutely something the real Daniel would say, but this isn't actually Daniel. He's just being conjured up by Rush's mind. That means that Rush must know about Sha're's death, because otherwise, the dream wouldn't be able to include this particular piece of dialog. I imagine Rush has read every SG mission report from both Earth and Atlantis. Rush dismisses this. “My wife isn't the answer,” he says. The data is coming more slowly from the chair so he has time to process it, but he's not understanding it. Again, Daniel urges Rush to spend time with his wife. She's more important than all of this right now. But from Rush's point of view, she's not, because she's not real. And then his nose starts bleeding. That's TV code for “This process is damaging his body in the real world.”   The nosebleed is actually happening in the real world. TJ is doing what she can for him, but there's only so much she can do. Young is considering pulling the plug, but nobody can speculate on whether that would kill him or not.   The away team have arrived on the planet. Eli and Chloe are thrilled. The ruins look kind of greek/roman esque.   Gloria has some surprising things to say. “You have work to do. Don't get distracted by me. There are lots of things you can change, but one thing you can't change is what happened to me.”   Rush is with her because it doesn't seem to matter where he is as long as he's working. But she has to remind him that she's not real. Interestingly, she's giving the exact opposite advice to Daniel.   On the planet, there's a little debate going on. Eli has investigated the tunnels under the city with the kino, but he and Chloe want to go down there. Scott and Greer can see no practical reason. Eli and Chloe just want to explore. They want the thrill of maybe finding out who lived on this planet. Scott says, “How would that help us?”   This actually reminds me of the different ways that Vulcans and humans explore space in Star Trek Enterprise. The Vulcans explore for purely practical reasons, but humans have this emotional need to know what's out there.   Chloe points out the real possibility of finding advanced technology. A lot of advanced races found in the milky way and pegasus galaxies live in what appeared to be primitive stone architecture.   In the end, the thing that convinces them is that Eli has lost the kino in the tunnel. They can't get the footage unless they go down and find it. So apparently, even though the image is relayed to the controller, it doesn't get stored there. The footage is stored within the Kino itself.   There's an awkward moment when Eli jokes with Greer about being scared to go in the caves. He meant no malice by it, but it turns out Greer is a little claustrophobic. Clearly something happened to him as a kid. Just a little hint into his character, which I believe will be further explored in the future. When you look at a tough-guy like Greer, it's easy to forget they have weaknesses and flaws just like everyone else.   Despite his dismissal of Daniel's words, and despite Gloria's own urging, Rush is spending time with her, working in her company. Out for a walk or in the hospital.   Gloria was apparently a Christian. She was drawing comfort from her faith during her last days. Rush has no time for religion but he sits with her, working as always, just to be with her.   Chloe gets caught in spiderwebs and wants to go back. But Greer spots what can only be described as the giant spider from hell. It's nasty. And he does what we've always wanted to do when seeing a scary spider. He shoots it with a machine gun. Of course this spider is as big as a medium dog, so the machine gun makes sense. The bad news is that the gunfire also collapsed the tunnel, trapping them down there.   I'm pretty amused by Scott's line to Young, “it was a sizable spider, Sir.”   Rush has the information he needs from Destiny, but he can't understand it, and he doesn't think staying in this dream any longer is going to help. He reaches for the door that will wake him up. But Daniel asks “How's the wife?” Why is Daniel so insistent on Rush spending time with her. Apparently, today is the day she dies. No wonder Rush doesn't want to stick around. How could you live through that again? Rush starts to wonder why Daniel keeps saying he should be with Gloria. Daniel says it is the 6th of April, but Gloria didn't die on the 6th of April. The address of his house is supposed to be 4, but it says 46. He's been seeing the number 46 everywhere since the dream started.   In the real world, Rush has suffered a cardiac event. Staying in this chair is going to kill him eventually. Even Brody is starting to think it might be best to try waking him. The rescue team, Young sent to get the away team out of the tunnels are not going to complete their work in time, but if Rush has figured out the master code to the ship, he might be able to stall the ship going into FTL, to buy them time to complete the rescue, but that means risking Rush's life to save the others. But then, if they leave him in the dream, he's going to die eventually anyway. Young faces quite the difficult decision. I'm glad it's not me.   James is gonna try blowing a hole in the roof of the tunnel with C4. It's risky, but they don't have time for anything else.   The resulting visual of the tunnel collapsing over a wide area tells us all we need to know. James has made it worse. There's no way they're gonna get the team out of there now. Scott orders them to abandon the rescue and return to Destiny while they still can.   Rush goes to see his wife in the hospital. He doesn't know what 46 means yet but he assumes being with his wife is important somehow. So now he has to sit here and watch her die. There could be nothing harder in life. Gloria has some hard things to say to him, about the person he's allowed himself to become. How his loss has made him twisted and bitter. Rush is no longer the man she loved. He's become calloused. He says that man died with her, but she's having none of that. “I was never your conscience, Nick.” That's a cop-out. “I know how much you loved me, stop taking it out on everyone else.” This whole experience is actually a healing one for Rush. He's had to face some hard truths about himself, about the person he's become.   That's when he wakes. Young grabs him immediately. “We've got five minutes to stop this ship from going into FTL. People's lives are at stake. But Rush can't do that. He never did crack the code.   Young tells Scott they can't do anything more. Scott understands and acknowledges. Young tells him not to give up. It's not over. But the timer runs out and Destiny jumps.   So Scott, Greer, Chloe and Eli are stranded on an alien planet. That's got to be a gut-wrenching realisation for them. Once again, the show is stranding main characters on an alien world with no way to get back to destiny, and no way to make the ship return for them.   Rush doesn't have all the answers, but he does have 46. That's the number of Chromosomes in human DNA, apparently. Remember the ancients were essentially a previous iteration of humans. Most ancient technology is protected by a special gene which only they had. A select number of humans also have the gene, but Destiny was built much earlier. It doesn't use that gene. But the ancients still tied the security system in the ship's computer into their genetic code somehow. Now they have a place to start. Perhaps in time, they'll be able to finally control the ship's navigation systems.   And that's where we leave the episode.   It was good fun to see the return of Daniel Jackson. He was used effectively in this episode. Technically, it wasn't really Daniel, but we did get some hint of how the real Daniel was involved in recruiting Rush for the Stargate program. And that's pretty cool.   This is a great episode. It does some beautiful exploration of Rush's character. I love how it impacts him personally. We get a lot more insight into who he is, and why. It'll be fun to see how he changes over time, if he'll really take Gloria's advice to stop taking his pain out on others.   And what about those people trapped on the planet. Will we ever see them again?   We'll have to keep watching to find out.   Next time, we'll be looking at the episode Lost, which will deal with what happens to the away team. It should be fun.   If you haven't checked out any of my fiction yet, remember that you can read my prequel story Fall of the HMAS Adelaide for free. It's a nice little stand-alone story in my Jewel of The Stars universe that details first contact between humans and aliens, and how it went wrong. Just go to adamdavidcollings.com/free to get your copy.   Have a great two weeks, live long and prosper. Make it so.  

The Stargate franchise has tackled themes of religion and spirituality in the past, but today's episode might just be one of the best examples. Stargate Universe "Faith" presents us with a massive science fiction mystery. The episode delves into questions of faith and duty. Join me as I dig into this wonderful episode. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd. This is episode 62 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Faith” The description on gateworld reads The crew finds an idyllic planet when Destiny stops without its countdown clock running, tempting some crew members to stay permanently. It was written by Denis McGrath Directed by William Waring And first aired on the 16th of April 2010 Stargate has been examining questions of religion and faith since the very beginning. From the original movie and into SG1. Atlantis leaned on it less but it was definitely still there. But these shows rarely used subtlety and nuance on the subject, although they did some interesting stuff with the Ori inn seasons 9 and 10. Today's episode has more of that subtlety and nuance than the Jaffa's faith in the very obviously false gods, the Goa'huld. When TJ wakes up, she's got really long hair. And I'm thinking, didnn't she have short hair up until now? That seems to be the military norm. But when we see her later, I realise that it's all kind of tied up. So I guess she's always had long hair. I'm not very observant about these kinds of things.   Rush can barely walk, but he turns up in the lab because, in his words, there's too much work to be done. He's a workaholic. It's about the only thing he's passionate about. No surprise he doesn't want to take the necessary time to allow his body to recover from his surgery. They're all working to repair the ship, seal off the breaches in the hull from the alien's boarding parties. For all his faults, Young is trying, really trying, to get along with Rush and find a way to work with him. Young has always been the more gracious of the two. It's really hard to know what's going on in Rush's head, because he doesn't betray a lot. I don't think he cares anything that Young is trying, again, to extend the hand of peace. I think, to Rush, Young is irrelevant. Beneath him. It seems Chloe and Scott are not currently speaking to each other. Which is correct. If this was a 90s show, they would all be back to normal now, resuming their relationship, with no memory of the coup that happened last episode. I'm so glad that TV moved to a more serialised medium. Although, as we'll see later, they'll still resolved their relationship a lot quicker and easier than I think they should have. Scott is trying to make an effort to follow Young's orders regarding the civilians. Greer doesn't like it, at all. TJ doesn't seem keen either, but she may have bigger problems. Scott thinks she looks sick. The ship drops out of FTL in empty space, and the gate isn't dialing. That's a first. Young says there are no planets, no stars. He says this based on the records in the computer, but those looking out the window can see there is clearly a star out there. It would seem that Destiny's records are out of date. The seed ships are supposed to relay information back to Destiny about the various star systems. The star is a yellow dwarf, just like our sun. Destiny didn't stop on purpose, it didn't know the star was here. The gravity well interfered with the ship's FTL flight and caused it to drop out prematurely. Destiny has already plotted a parabolic course around the star so it can resume its course. It'll take a few weeks, but here's the exciting  part. There's a planet. Just one. Same size as earth and by all accounts a perfect paradise. They can't gate to the planet but it's within shuttle range. They usually only have about a day to investigate a planet, but in this case they have weeks. This is a big mystery. According to scans, the planet is a few hundred millions of years old. So why didn't the seed ship see it and drop a stargate on it? The seed ships aren't that far ahead of Destiny. Even weirder, they think that given the age of the star, the planet should be a ball of molten rock. The planet does look beautiful. Like Canada, in the truest tradition of SG1, but it still looks a little different, because of the way they shoot it. Greer is an idiot. He finds a fruit that looks exactly like a kiwi. He takes a big bite rather than waiting for a scientific analysis to determine whether it's poisonous. Anyway, this is the first alien food they've found that actually tastes good. And there's fresh water down there too. But Scott sounds a little word of caution. They haven't detected any animals, especially dangerous ones, but who knows what comes out at night. This is a nice subtle callback to Time, where the nice jungle planet became a living hell at night because of the creatures that emerged. I like the big connective story arcs in shows like this, but I also appreciate these little subtle moments that you might not even catch if you're not paying attention. The first season of Farscape did a lot of this kind of thing and I know people appreciated that. This planet is wonderful. They're all feeling it. TJ especially. It reminds her of childhood camping trips. Scott has to practically drag her away when it's time to return to the ship with their findings. And this is when things get really interesting. They're flying over the mountains and they spot an obelisk. Bit tall stone thing, not quite Egyptian, but very eye-catching. Who could have put it there? It's just sitting there in the middle of the wilderness. 600 metres tall, which is about 2,000 feet, with a faint EM field. There are markings in an alien language. Rush doesn't think it's the same aliens they've been encountering over the last few episodes. Because those aliens don't seem to have the technology to build this. Not the obelisk, the planet. Rush thinks the planet was artificially constructed by someone. Eli immediately mentions the Genesis device, which is awesome. I share his frustration that nobody seems to pick up on that Star Trek reference, but honestly, the first thing that popped into my head was Slartibartfast and the Magratheans who created planets in the universe of The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. Rush says the planet, and the star, were placed here after the seed ships passed by. He doesn't actually explain his reasoning, other than the fact that there's no stargate and it's not in the records. There could be other explanations. But assuming he's right, for a race to have created this star and planet, they would be more advanced than any race ever encountered in the Stargate universe, more advanced than the Goa'uld, the Asgard, even the Ancients. One of the things I like science fiction for, is the sense of wonder, the sense of awe. And this episode really delivers on that. Clearly, this planet bears deeper investigation, but they're almost out of shuttle range. Rush suggests sending a team down now and then picking them back in a month when Destiny loops back around on the other side, on it's way out of the system. That's a risk, of course, because there could be aliens down there we haven't seen yet, but oh man, it's compelling. And the food and medicine alone makes it worth the risk. Surprisingly, it's Eli who argues against this. At first, that might seem odd. He's the geek, just like us. He loves science fiction. His imagination would be just as captivated as mine is, but facing real aliens is a whole different thing to watching them on TV or reading about them in books. Eli has less experience with aliens than anyone else on this ship. He didn't even know about the Stargate program until the day he left Earth. The history of the show so far has shown us that Eli has reacted with understandable fear in the face of their few aliens encounters so far. So he's actually being very consistent with his established character right now. Camille would like to go down but she's not sure about Rush's calculations. She asks TJ “can he be trusted?” and TJ's reply is “You tell me.” I think this is a bit of a dig at Camille for her involvement in the civilian uprising with Rush. We get a nice reminder that Franklin is still in the medical bay in a coma, following his encounter with the alien chair device a few episodes back. Nice to know they're not forgotten that thread. As a writer you need to drop these little things just re-assure readers when you stretch out a plot element like this. I'm actually doing a similar thing in my Jewel of The Stars books. I have a character who was injured in book 1 and is in a long-term coma over a number of books. You gotta remind the reader that you haven't forgotten about them from time to time. Chloe is going down to the planet, and so is Scott. That could be awkward, but at least they say a few words to each other. Eli is remaining on Destiny, really not happy about people going down there. Tensions are still pretty high. The military are very much running the show on this mission, but there's some real resentment. One officer tells a civilian to dig a hole for the toilet. He refuses. Greer is kind of amused but annoyed that the officer made the civilian do this dirty job. So he makes them do it together. In his own Greer way, this is him trying to live the new spirit of cooperation as ordered. Chloe has also noticed that TJ doesn't look well. Given how little they get to eat on Destiny it's no wonder they're all not sick. Camille asks Eli what he thinks about the planet. Is it really possible to make a star? Eli says the star appeared out of nowhere. And the planet's age doesn't line up with what it should be. From his perspective, the most logical explanation he can see is that it was created by some all powerful alien force. And I find that very interesting. Evidence of extra-natural creation, if not supernatural creation. And then Scott has a chat with Caine down on the planet. He appreciates that Scott is one of the few military that seem to really mean it when they say they want to mend fences, and now they've been given the perfect opportunity to work it all out. Time to really think and talk, and work together. Through unbelievable circumstances. How can this be anything other than a miracle, he asks. And I agree. Now you can debate the source of this miracle as long as you like, but I don't think anyone down on that planet could really argue that the word miracle doesn't apply here. This leads to a bunch of the people down on the planet discussing issues of a spiritual nature. Is there such a thing as fate? Is there a God with a plan? TJ is holding her personal cards pretty close to her chest. Chloe seems to be leaning slightly toward the spiritual side of the argument, rather than the naturalistic view of the random scientist guy. There are a couple of amusing scenes in this episode where Brody and Park are trying to repair the second shuttle, remember, the one Senator Armstrong died in. Whenever Young asks for an update, Brody says “Oh, it's going terrible,” and at the same moment, Park says “It's going great.” These scenes get a good chuckle out of me. And I totally get it. I see these extremes in my own work as a software developer. You see, Brody is looking at the big picture. There are so many things that don't work, so many problems yet to be solved. Whereas Park is celebrating their most recent success. The can make the shuttle move left. Brilliant. That's a significant step. You see, developing a software product, or repairing an alien shuttle, is a project that needs to be broken down into steps. My computer science teacher used to ask the question “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, “One bite at a time.” Whenever I'm feeling like Brody, I'm trying to solve the big picture all at once. I'm looking at the sheer number of issues still to be solved. But I'm forgetting to focus on the individual parts of the problem. I need to break it down and solve them one by one. Anyway, It'll certainly be handy to have two shuttles instead of just one when it's time to get the people and supplies back up. Scott and Chloe seem to be talking again. Things seem to improve after Scott catches her swimming naked in a lake. Because, you know, sexy feelings are all it takes to overcome differences apparently. If I'd been writing this show, I'd have had their relationship end after the coup. Probably permanently. I could maybe have them get back together eventually, but definitely not just after one episode. But the worst crime here is that their relationship challenges all get solved off camera. We see Chloe coyly skinny dipping while Scott stares lwedly at her, and then, the next scene, they're all back to normal. Deep Space Nine did this once with Odo and Kira. I wasn't impressed that time, either. I think one reason the writers may have fast-tracked this reconciliation is that they needed Chloe and Scott to be willing to stay on the planet, or return to Destiny, for each other. Their relationship needed to be fixed so that we could believe they'd both be willing to make their respective sacrifice. This is when we learn that TJ is pregnant. 15 weeks. Just before she arrived in Icarus apparently. It seems pretty obvious that Young is the father. There's those inconvenient consequences again. One of the reasons they wrote this particular plot arc is that Alaina Huffman who played TJ was pregnant in real life. I worked out pretty well, though, because the writers were already toying with the idea of having a pregnancy, figuring it would be interesting to see a character have to struggle with the idea of raising a child on destiny and all the extra complications that would bring. Anyway, TJ was kind of the perfect character to use for the poregnancy story, because it was already established that she'd had a prior relationship with Young, and this whole thing only complicate's Young's situation with his wife further. It was pretty common for TV writers to have to find creative ways to deal with actor pregnancy. It happened on Star Trek a lot. There's a reason Doctor Crusher and B'elanna Torres suddenly started wearing big flowing coats over their uniforms, although they did write B'elanna's pregnancy as a holodeck simulation into one episode. In DS9, they had a bit more fun with it, transferring the maby of Miles and Keiko O'Brien into Kira's body due to a medical emergency after a runabout accident. Rush is exploring new parts of the ship while they're not in FTL and he's found some kind of big device that James describes as a robot. That's interesting. Chloe admits to Scott that she's starting to see things Caine's way. Somebody put this planet here for a reason, maybe for them. Be it, God, or an alien of some kind. Maybe there is some higher power in the universe that knew the crew of Destiny needed help. And that's when they notice the obelisk is shooting a bright light into the sky. More and more interesting. Sadly, it's about time to start preparing to return to Destiny. They've gathered a lot of food But from Volker's point of view, this is really bad timing. The obelisk has just started doing stuff. He wants more time to study it. I totally understand that, but they're on a deadline here. They can't control Destiny's movements so they have no choice but to get back on board when it goes past or be left behind forever. Rush is feeling that same sadness. He doesn't need to be down on the planet experiencing it like Volker, but he hungers for answers just as much as anyone else. TJ is thinking of staying on the planet. A few others are as well, but TJ is determined. Caine thinks anyone capable of creating this solar system could certainly help them get back home. Greer and Scott assume such aliens would be hostile. Chloe, and Canine seem to assume the opposite. In reality, neither really has any evidence to know one way or the other. They can't possibly know what the aliens would be like. Caine says “This planet was created for us. We were led here for a reason.” He says it so emphatically. Now, I'm a person of faith. I don't try to hide that. But faith has to be anchored in something. A collection of scriptures, somebody's teachings, eyewitness accounts of something miraculous. In order to have faith, you need something to put faith in. So they have hard evidence of what can only be assumed to be miraculous. A level of technology so far beyond what we can understand that the word miraculous would seem to apply. But he's making a whole lot of assumptions. They have no data on who or what created this planet. They have no idea why the planet was created. This is why Rush is so depressed, because they're about to leave this system without the answers to those questions. We don't know if the aliens even know that destiny and its crew exist. But Caine is convinced he knows why the planet was made, who it was made for, and that it is part of a larger plan that involves the humans. But he has absolutely nothing to base that on.  So it's hard to even call what he's exercising faith. It's actually closer to imagination. He's just making stuff up. So while Caine is putting all his hope on the return of the aliens, TJ is okay with them never returning. This planet has food and water. The winters get cold there, well below freezing. Okay. I live in Tasmania. We get below freezing in winter, but I've been watching some videos from my favourite travel vloggers recently. They've been staying at Yellowstone National Park. And that place gets way colder than we ever get in Tassie. They'll need much better shelter, but there are plenty of trees to cut down. And that's when TJ finally tells Scott she's pregnant. That's why she can't go back to the ship. She doesn't want to have her baby on Destiny. What kind of a life would that be? When Scott finally makes contact with Young, as Destiny draws close, he tells him there are 11 people that want to stay behind. Caine and TJ we know. Chloe wants to stay as well, and so does Scott. He says he feels an obligation to help the people survive down there, but I think he probably wants to stay because of Chloe.  And this is where we have to face the question of personal rights versus responsibility to the group. TJ is their medic. She's the closest thing they have to a doctor. Nobody else comes close. If she stays on the planet then the crew have no medical care at all.  Does she have the right to deny them that? Do they have the right to deny her a change to raise her child on the planet? I think in the case of TJ and Scott, they do have an obligation to follow orders. They're military personnel. They have a duty to their commanding officer. But then, TJ technically finished her tour of duty. She was gonna head back to earth before they ended up on this ship. So how does that fit into it? Hard questions. So now we have Camille and Rush offering different perspectives. Camille feels the people have the right to choose whether to return or not. Rush believes that Young should round them up at gunpoint and force them back on board for the good of the crew. Young says not all of them have the right to choose, which brings us back to the duty of the military people. Scott hasn't told Young about TJ's pregnancy. That's her job. Scott knows about their prior relationship, but apparently not anyone else on the ship does. Young has made his decision. He is gonna let some of them stay, and he's giving them the second shuttle. The damaged one. He flies it down himself, which is quite a risk. The shuttle may not do them much good, as it may never be able to be fully repaired. But it does make it down in one piece. Rush is pretty furious. They may need that shuttle some day, not to mention the people. I was surprised to see Greer as on who wanted to remain behind. Young gives his ultimatum.  Either all military personnel return to the ship, and he'll leave the shuttle for the rest of them. Or, he'll take everyone back on board by force. So with great pain, TJ agrees to return. She doesn't mention the baby. Scott is the last holdout but he returns as well, and so does Chloe. Young tells Rush he's sorry he didn't get his wish. Aliens smart enough to build a solar system. Finally someone Rush can have a decent conversation with. That got a laugh out of me. Scott asks  Young a very important question. “What if that planet was a lifeline and we just let it go?” And despite Caine having no evidence for his assertions about the aliens wanting to help us all, it is an important question. That planet was perfectly suited to human habitation. It was right there when they needed it. It's very possible that somebody did put it there for them. Are they foolish to have left it behind? In the end, there was one reason why Young argued for staying on Destiny. Because he believes it's still the best chance to get home. And without anything to corroborate Caine's theories, he's right. But maybe building a new life on that planet is a valid alternative to trying to get home. They could live the rest of their lives there. It might be a better life than forever clinging to the faint hope that they could get home. Star Trek Voyager addressed this question in the episode The 37s. Not a bad episode, but I think this one explores the question more deeply. In Voyager, nobody chose to stay, but I think they had more reason to hope they'd make it back to earth in their lifetime than the crew of Destiny do. The episode closes with the contrast of Young everyone else smiling and laughing as they have their first good meal in a very very long time, while TJ sits alone in the medical bay with tears streaming down her face. Yeah, I really feel for her. I don't know why she didn't just tell Young about the baby. She can't keep it secret forever, and it might have been enough to change his mind. There seems to have been no advantage to keeping quiet. I really like this episode. The created planet is one of those great science fiction concepts that inspire the imagination, and it raised some thought-provoking questions about faith and duty. If this had been a Star Trek original series episode, they would have solved the mystery. They'd have found out who made the planet, and why. And that is certainly a valid story to tell. And it would still have had a sense of wonder to it. But Stargate Universe doesn't do that. It leaves us in the dark, setting things up to be further explored in the future. Stargate Universe is playing the long game. And I love that. What really sucks is that the show didn't continue long enough to give us more answers and explore it all deeper. It's looking like there's a strong chance we'll eventually get a new Stargate Show, and I know Brad Wright has plans to address the fate of Destiny. I can only hope that we learn more about this mysterious planet and whoever created it. And that those answers are satisfying. That's always the danger with these big set ups. It can be hard to pay them off satisfactorily. But there you have it. Faith. I'm remembering how much I enjoyed the second half of this season. Next week, we'll be looking at an episode called Human. It'll take us on a deep dive into Rush's backstory, which is cool, and we may even see a familiar face. I can't wait to talk about it with you all. Please consider giving Nerd Heaven a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and spread the word to anyone who might be interested. Thank you again for listening to the show. It means a lot to me. Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.            

The show has been building toward this for a few episodes, but here it is. We're facing a civil war between the civilians and the military on board Destiny. and if that wasn't bad enough, those aliens we met last episode are still out there and will certainly be trying to find us again. There's lots of think about in this episode of Stargate Universe. Let's dive into it together. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 61 of the podcast. Today, we’re talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Divided.”   The description on gateworld reads Colonel Young's opponents launch a coup to take control of the ship, pitting the military against civilians. This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie It was directed by Felix Enrique Alcala And it first aired on the 4th of September 2010.   Chloe is wandering the ship at night. She is clearly still trying to come to terms with her abduction last episode. That’s totally believable. It’s the kind of thing that would give you nightmares, if you could even fall asleep at all.   The frightening images accompanied by the heavy rocks music is a very effective combination. So she is managing to get to sleep, but she has nightmares every single time.   Scott wants to help her, but honestly doesn’t know how.   So instead she ends up in the mess hall with Rush. He’s the one person who can at least understand what she’s going through.   These two seem to be bonding over their shared experience. Remember back at the beginning of season 1? Chloe hated Rush because she blamed him for the death of her father.   They’ve both come to the conclusion that the aliens will find them again. They’re not safe.   We get a solution to the big mystery from last episode. Why did the communication stones connect Young to the alien ship?   Young’s theory is that when he first opened the box in episode 1, Rush took one of the communication stones for himself. Some kind of insurance policy. He had it on his person, and so when the aliens took him on board their ship, they touched it, and that’s why the system connected Young to one of them, instead of a human back on Earth.   Rush doesn’t confirm or deny it. I think we can safely assume that Young’s theory is correct.   Rush is more interested in how the aliens found us in the first place. He’s been having flashes since his experience, much like Chloe is. He’s convinced the aliens have put a tracking device on Destiny’s hull. That they’ve been tracking the ship long before humans showed up on it. Destiny is something of an obsession for them. I can understand that. This mysterious advanced ship without a crew flying through space.   Imagine how they must have felt when the humans suddenly appeared on the ship, which could even be a holy relic to them.   Destiny will be out of FTL for several hours so this is the perfect time to search the hull. The hole cut by the boarding aliens provides a very convenient exit route for the Kino.   Greer has a frank conversation with Young. He doesn’t know who put the gun in Young’s quarters, but he has strong suspicions, and he still thinks the ship is better off without Rush. He’s willing to stand with Young if anything goes down. Young doesn’t say anything. This kind of conflict is the last thing he wants.   While Eli is searching with the Kino, Rush is mysteriously showing an ancient research lab to Camille. “Do we have to do it now?” she asks. “We’ll never have a better time,” Rush answers. It’s clear Rush is up to more than he’s let on to Young. He tells Camille to get her people in position.   The Kino has found an alien shuttle mounted to Destiny’s hull. That’s how they’ve been tracking the ship. It’s been there since before the humans arrived. Young and Scott go out in a shuttle to destroy it.   Brody is in on this thing too. He’s a little shocked when TJ enters the lab. He does a very clumsy job of trying to explain the call to her.   The tension builds nicely as the ominous music plays. Young’s shuttle won’t lock to the ship. Eli is locked out of the computer so he can’t help. This is a big problem for Young because if the shuttle’s not locked down when they go to FLT, it won’t be enveloped by the bubble. Worst case scenario, they get left behind. The more likely scenario, the shuttle gets vaporised.   It’s pretty clear at this point that Chloe is either involved or at least knows something about it.   Young orders Greer to find Rush. Chloe tells Rush to stop whatever he’s doing. Apparently, the inability for the shuttle to dock wasn’t part of the plan, and she doesn’t want Scott to die.   Eli is in a really sticky situation. Rush admits that he’s in the process of taking control of the computer system away from Eli. Eli can’t stop that, but his efforts are delaying the process. Right now, nobody has control, so nobody can save the shuttle.   If Eli stops his efforts, Rush promises to lock the clamps down once he has control. But Young orders Eli not to listen to Rush, but to keep trying to wrest control back.   What a situation! I’m so glad I’m not in Eli’s shoes right now. Even putting aside the question of who he should side with, it’s hard to know what to do. If he keeps trying, there’s no guarantee he’ll succeed. But if he gives up control to Rush, there’s no guarantee Rush will keep up his end of the bargain.   Eli is stuck right in the middle of the power struggle.   So who is going to blink first? Chloe and Camille, who are on Rush’s side, want him to shut it down and release control back to Eli. That will put an end to everything they’re trying to do.   In order for Young and Scott to live, somebody is going to have to relinquish control.   In the end, Rush is the one to give up. Eli engages the clamps and saves Young and Scott.   So what we have here is basically a civilian uprising against the military forces on the ship.   Brody hasn’t been able to do what he’s supposed to do because TJ, who is military, is in the room.   Camille has taken control of the ship and locked most of the military out of key areas. A couple of people are stuck on the wrong side of the wall, including TJ and a no-name soldier. Eli is on the military side, although he knew nothing of this uprising.   Camilla says Young’s actions have given her no choice.   TJ outranks the soldier. As she says, “Well, we’re not gonna go and shoot everyone, so put the gun down.”   Young assumes this is just a personal thing between him and Rush, but this is so much bigger than that. Almost all the civilians on the ship are in on this. The civilians have all the food and water supplies, but since Rush released control prematurely, the military side have control over life support.   Poor Eli is stuck in the middle as usual. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on here?” he asks. From Eli’s perspective, he can’t understand why people can’t just get along.   The civilians have about 3 days of air in reserve. The military would have to go that long without water. It’s a standoff.   They trade some food and water for Eli. Young agrees to this because there’s another way into the other side.   Eli is shocked that Chloe is going along with this. Chloe’s position is that Rush was an inconvenience, so Rush left him alone to die. Young has admitted this was a mistake. He shouldn’t have done it. But that doesn’t take away the consequences.   You see, that’s what I love about serialised shows like Stargate Universe. Consequences. Consequences in fiction are fantastic.   Camille has an interesting point. In every civilised society in the world, the military answers to a civilian government. If you view Destiny as a small community of people then technically, what we have right now is a military dictatorship.   So where do you sit on all of this? I’m honestly interested in your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment on youTube, or podbean, or tweet me at @adamcollings   I’ve always been torn, watching this episode. On one hand, I’m very much a follow the rules and do what’s right kinda guy. So the idea of revolting against the leadership of any community, be it a ship, a state, a country, goes against every grain that is in me.   On the other hand, I am a civilian myself, so I kinda feel some sympathy for the civilians on the ship. I’ve never liked the way the military throw their weight around in the second half of this episode. I understand why they do it, but it makes them feel kinda like bullies.   If I were in Eli’s position, stuck in the middle between these two sides, I don’t know what I’d do. I’d just be really mad, as I think he is, at both sides for letting things come to this.   Rush is wanting to get as much power as he can to direct into the shields. He says we’re gonna need it.   Two of the military personnel are walking in spacesuits on the hull in an effort to covertly enter the civilian part of the ship.    And that’s when the aliens show up again. That’s why Rush wants the shields.   The alien shuttle was only one tracking device. There’s another surgically implanted in Young’s chest. That’s awkward.   Rush knows a lot more about the situation with the aliens than he’s let on. For a long time, the aliens have been attacking destiny, trying to get on board. The ship’s automated defences stop them, and they give up for a while.   They’re attacking now because they’re hoping the human crew will make a mistake. Rush believes that if they can keep the shields up long enough to jump away, the aliens will give up their pursuit.   It seems logical, but it’s by no means certain.   Young and Greer have made it into the other side of the ship.   TJ also makes a good point. This isn’t just about listening to others points of view. The minute the civilians took over the ship, they made it war, and that’s what the military are good at. They’ll re-take the ship. Guaranteed.   And she’s right. Young isn’t going to listen to anything they have to say, not now. Oh, he’ll be willing to have discussions once this is resolved, but as long as the civilians are rising up against them, he has only one goal. Put them down.   There has always been an uneasiness between civilians and military in the Stargate world. Senator Kensey spent years trying to wrest control of the Stargate from the US Air Force. Then there’s the whole IOA thing. They were constantly trying to interfere with the Atlantis expedition.   But it’s never come to a head quite like this.   So while all of this is happening, the aliens are now shooting at Destiny.   Greer has opened up the door to allow Scott and the others into the civilian side.   Scott says “use force if you have to, but remember, we still have to live with these people tomorrow.” That’s smart.   There’s an awkward moment when Scott walks inn and rescues TJ. Chloe doesn’t put up any resistance. How can she? She and Scott just kinda look at each other, two lovers on opposite sides of this conflict.   The scene where Greer and the other soldiers burst into the room yelling, pointing guns and knocking people to the floor, that kinda makes me angry. I’m not necessarily saying they’re in the wrong, I just don’t like the way they go in throwing their weight around. They have the strength, so what they say goes. It feels very much like Bully kinda behaviour. I think that attitude is why a lot of the civilians on the ship are feeling very upset about the whole situation. But they’re soldiers. This is what they do. You don’t try to out soldier a bunch of soldiers and think they won’t put you down.   Young has arrived in the control room, and, of course, he and Rush disagree on how best to handle the situation with the aliens. Rush believes the best option is to keep the shields up. We’ve already talked about his plan.   Young disagrees. I wonder how much of his disagreement is solely because it’s Rush saying it? He comes seriously close to shooting Rush. If Scott hadn’t turned up, he might have actually done it. But that would hardly help his reputation around here.   Eli tells Young about the transmitter in Rush’s chest. So they’re gonna use the stones to bring in a qualified surgeon from Earth. She’s in Chloe’s body.   TJ has used some of the venom from the aliens back in the episode time, to knock Rush out. It’s the closest thing they have to anaesthetic. Gotta use what you can, right?   The surgeon is a little taken-aback by the makeshift nature of everything. A surgical camera made from a modified Kino, alien drugs. She obviously has clearance, so probably works for the SGC, but even so, back on Earth, under Cheyenne Mountain, they have all the normal human conveniences.   Eli thinks Rush is right about his tactic, but the shields don’t have enough power. They won’t hold long enough. Young wants to shoot back but that’ll just drain the power faster.   The doctor found the implant, which is gonna be hard to remove, and then they lose the connection. Poor Chloe finds herself there with her hands figuratively in Rush’s chest.   And even worse, Rush wakes up mid-operation because the alien venom is an untried anaesthetic. They manage to knock him out with another dose, and TJ has no choice but to take over. She removes the tracking device from Rush’s chest.   The tracker is gone, but the aliens are still firing at them.   The timer runs out and they jump. Finally free of the aliens.   I like how in the midst of all this, all the conflicts between the military and civilians were set aside. They worked together to stay alive.   But now they have to address what happens next.   Greer is worried about guarding them all, but Young says it’s over.   Once again, Young admits to Camille that he knows he shouldn’t have left Rush behind. I really like this moment, the way Young says “You think I don’t know that.” This is why I love Young. He owns up to his mistakes and he tries to be better.   The episode closes with the acknowledgement that it’s not really over. Learning to move forward and work together after this is going to be tough.   I love how this episode pits groups of people against each other, both with legitimate points of view. In the end, I don’t think we’re really supposed to root for one side or the other. We’re just supposed to lament how badly things have broken down.   This is great drama.   Clearly, Young has some things he has to address. Rush is a troublemaker, and even Camilla can be problematic, but if even people like Chloe, Brody and Volker were willing to go along with this, then the civilian population of the ship have some legitimate grievances, which Young is gonna have to work through.   But the way the civilians went about it was wrong. They should have talked. And questions of ethics aside, trying to take over the ship from military personnel was doomed to failure right from the start.   Very interesting times. Let’s see how this continues to unfold as the story progresses.   Next week, we introduce a whole new plot element which will become important, in the episode “Faith”.   I’m looking forward to revisiting it with you.   I recently sent an email out to my list explaining that the publication of my next Jewel of The Stars book is on hold indefinitely because of my family’s current financial situation. I’d had to use all my publication savings just to survive while we went through a period of only one income.   But thanks to my birthday, and the generosity of my family, things are looking a little better. So I feel like I’m getting back on track. I can’t wait to share book 3 with my readers.  Don’t forget, if you haven’t checked out Jewel of The Stars yet, you can get it anywhere you buy ebooks for just 99 cents, or in paperback from places like Amazon and Book Depository.   Have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper.   Make it so.